How one Venezuelan is now helping other immigrants
Marianela Hernandez knows what it’s like to immigrate to the U.S. from Venezuela. She and her family went through the process just seven years ago. But a lot has changed since then, and on her recent trip to Brownsville, Texas, to serve migrants, she saw people who could have been her, had her family waited until now to leave.
Marianela’s family had been planning to leave Venezuela and immigrate to Australia when her husband won the green card lottery and secured a place for their family in the U.S. It was a much more desirable situation than going to Australia. The U.S. came with legal status, family connection, a job, and their savings in tact. Even so, their process was tedious and full of barriers.
Back in Venezuela, Marianela was a lawyer. She actually ended up working in marketing, but she always hoped to put her law degree to good use again. When her family settled in San Antonio, she found a free ESL program at Woodland Church. She learned English, and she also found ways to serve her community through opportunities at the church. Eventually, one of the ministers recommended her as a good candidate to go through training with what is now Educational and Legal Immigration Ministries (ELIM). The process took several years from start to finish, but Marianela is now a legally accredited Department of Justice representative and helps people with legal immigration services. She’s finally using her legal skills, and she’s using them to serve others.
Marianela acknowledges that her personal immigration story, even with its trials, was a breeze compared to most immigrants’ experiences. That’s why she is committed to working with them. She wants to do what she can to help immigrants navigate the process and make it a little less stressful.
Marianela and other volunteers at the Brownsville migrant welcome center.
ELIM is a program of Fellowship Southwest, as of early 2023. Fellowship Southwest’s border ministry program involves cooperation with several ministries along both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border serving migrants. The staff from ELIM recently traveled to Brownsville to help out with a FSW immigration ministry partner there. Pastor Carlos Navarro and his church, Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville, serve hundreds and sometimes thousands of migrants each week, welcoming them, feeding them, and helping them figure out their next steps.
In May 2023, a group of migrants was hit by a drunk driver outside of a migrant shelter. Several of them were Venezuelans. Some lost their lives; many were seriously injured, including a small child. They and their families have remained in Brownsville to rehabilitate and await the police investigation. Because of her expertise with immigration pathways, forms and processes, Marianela met with a small group of them. She suggested a particular type of humanitarian visa called a U-Visa, granted to immigrants who are victims of certain types of crime. Because the incident is now being investigated as a drunk driving accident, it is possible they might qualify.
In the meantime, philanthropic organizations and individuals have stepped up to help the victims. Pastor Navarro has officiated funerals, cared for the survivors, hosted them in his church’s respite center and organized other support. Fellowship Southwest provided the travel for one of the victims’ families to join them in Brownsville. Others paid for an AirBnB while they recover from the accident and await the completion of the police report. After the police report is complete, they will be ready to navigate their immigration process. Fortunately for this group of people, they now have a connection to ELIM and Marianela - trusted advocates who can help them without taking advantage of their situation.
The Brownsville trip was emotional for Marianela. She heard stories that easily could have been her own, if not for slightly different circumstances. Venezuelans who left their country three or more years ago, like Marianela, had far more opportunities than do more recent migrants. For starters, Marianela suspects there’s a lot of misinformation floating around Venezuela, making people hope for opportunities they don’t really have. So they sell their homes and use their savings to hire coyotes to get them out of the country. They have to endure a lot of the journey on foot. They brave the horrors of the Darien gap, often falling victim to violence, fatigue or other jungle dangers. By the time they reach the American border months later, it’s too late to turn back. They have nothing waiting for them at home. It’s a tragic situation on all sides.
When Marianela thinks about this, it makes her feel something close to guilt that she was so much more fortunate than her fellow Venezuelans. So she channels those feelings into productivity, hoping to make a difference for her people and others like them. If you want to join Marianela in this valuable work, ELIM provides many kinds of trainings for churches and individuals to become involved. Find out more at ELIMFSW.org.
