WGCU | By Elizabeth Andarge , Amanda Whittamore
This story was originally produced by WLRN, South Florida’s only public radio station at 91.3 FM, as part of a content sharing partnership with Miami’s Community News. Read more at WLRN.org.
Arianna walked the aisles of a Burlington store in Bonita Springs, picking out toys for her two young sons. The purchases were not for a birthday or a holiday. They were for the journey back to Guatemala.
Arianna and her children are preparing to self-deport after her husband was detained and deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in January. Both she and her husband are undocumented. For safety reasons, only her middle name is being used. Two weeks ago, ICE agents detained her husband. Within a week, he was deported. Arianna was left as the sole breadwinner and caretaker for their family.
“He was an excellent husband,” she said. “After work, he would play with the kids, and when I got sick, he took care of me.”…