Rosa’s Story: Rebuilding Home After Deportation

Seven years ago, Rosa arrived in the Bay Area with a clear goal: to build a stable, loving home for her children and give them opportunities she never had growing up in Honduras. From the beginning, she worked steadily, taking on long hours and multiple jobs to support her family and stay connected to the community she left behind.

But on June 17, 2025, ICE detained Rosa’s partner. Overnight, she was left to care for her three children, including a 7-month-old baby, on her own. Her household income dropped to just $1,600 a month without her partner’s income. Covering essentials like food, rent, and baby supplies became an overwhelming challenge. The stability Rosa had worked so hard to build suddenly felt at risk.

Still, Rosa refused to give up. She picked up extra shifts at work and turned to her community, which led her to MAF’s ALMA program. ALMA supports families facing the financial toll of detention or deportation with emergency grants and community-led support. Through ALMA, Rosa found not just immediate relief, but strength in knowing she wasn’t alone.

Building a New Life

Resources in Rosa’s hometown in Honduras were scarce. As a child, she lacked access to quality education, and as an adult, securing steady work proved challenging. When she became a mother, Rosa knew she wanted her children to have more opportunities—a stable home, a good education, and a chance to build prosperous lives. Determined to make that dream a reality, she made the difficult decision to leave Honduras. Before beginning her journey, she made a heartfelt promise to her pastor:

“I promised that if I made it to the United States, I would do a lot… that I would help [my community back home].”

Arriving in the U.S., Rosa found herself completely alone, with family and friends thousands of miles away. Soon after her arrival, she began working at a restaurant, and during the pandemic, she found work cleaning apartment buildings. Over time, Rosa’s perseverance bore fruit. She reunited with her children in the Bay Area and enrolled them in school, fulfilling one of the promises she had made to herself. Throughout it all, she frequently sent money home to support her mother, brother, and local church, maintaining strong ties to her community back in Honduras.

Although Rosa stayed closely connected to her homeland, she also worked to create a sense of home and belonging in the U.S. Along the way, she crossed paths with Mario. Much like Rosa, Mario had come to the U.S. from Honduras in search of opportunity. They grew close, supported each other on their journeys, and eventually began building a life as a family. He became part of her and her children’s everyday routines, picking them up from school and spending weekends out in the city together. As their love grew, so did their household. Seven months ago, Rosa and Mario welcomed their daughter. For the first time in years, Rosa felt that the loving, stable home she had dreamed of was becoming her reality.

The Day Everything Shifted

The morning of June 17 felt like any other. Rosa and Mario woke up and got their children ready for school and daycare. Later that day, they were out with their daughter running errands in San Francisco.

Then an ICE van pulled up. Mario was detained on the spot, taken into custody, and later deported to Honduras. In what felt like a matter of hours, he was gone. Rosa, once part of a two-parent household, suddenly found herself alone and left to care for their three children on her own.

When Mario was deported, the financial foundation of his family collapsed. Before his deportation, both Rosa and Mario were working full-time, earning a combined monthly income of $3,800. Money was tight, but they managed to cover their household’s essentials. Overnight, Rosa’s household income fell to just $1,600—a nearly 60% drop— and she could no longer afford the basics like food, rent, and diapers. 

Like Rosa, many immigrant families across the country are facing sudden, devastating income losses. In a recent MAF survey of over 1,300 immigrant families nationwide, 83% reported a loss of  income. This was often driven by fear as increased immigration enforcement forced them to stay home, sacrificing their livelihoods for their safety.

For families like Rosa’s, the loss of income quickly turns into impossible choices. Basic necessities become harder to afford. Based on survey insights, the financial strain on families is widespread: 82% are struggling to pay rent, 81% find paying household bills to be  a serious challenge, and 75% are struggling to afford food. Without timely support, these financial shocks can unravel years of a family’s hard-earned stability.

Finding Support Through ALMA

The financial strain that followed Mario’s detention and deportation was overwhelming—and so was the emotional toll. Rosa recalls fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty filling her first few days after his arrest. At night, she would lie awake, wondering how she would afford formula for her baby or pay rent. In the immediate aftermath, Rosa felt completely alone and unsupported.

As the initial shock began to fade, Rosa reached out to her attorney to determine her next steps. Her attorney comforted Rosa and connected her with local organizations that could offer support, including MAF. The conversation became a turning point for Rosa, a reminder that she didn’t have to face this hardship alone.

“I didn’t feel alone anymore,” Rosa says. “God always puts people in your path when you need them.” 

Earlier this year, MAF launched the ALMA Fund to provide families impacted by the sudden detention or deportation of a breadwinner with financial and community support. Through the program, Rosa received an unrestricted grant of $3,000. The first thing she bought with the funds was a family meal, the same one Mario would buy for the family as a special treat. What might seem like a simple purchase was, for Rosa and her children, a small source of comfort and familiarity in a time of deep distress. Rosa also bought baby supplies, back-to-school clothes, groceries, and covered rent with the remaining funds. 

The ALMA grant helped Rosa take the first steps toward rebuilding the sense of security she had fought so hard to create. Even in hardship, Rosa found the strength to speak up for herself and keep moving forward. For Rosa, this resilience has always been part of who she is.

“I feel very proud that I always have the strength to keep moving forward despite any adversity that comes my way. Thanks be to God—He gives me great strength,” she says.

Keeping Hope Alive

Millions of parents across the U.S. share Rosa’s dreams of building loving, stable households for their children. Yet for many immigrant parents, dehumanizing raids across the country threaten the hope that the goals that brought them here will one day become their family’s reality. But despite the uncertainty of what their futures might hold, families like Rosa’s continue to dream, build, and persevere.

When Rosa looks back on her journey, she feels proud of keeping her promises. She has given her children more opportunities than she ever had, helped renovate her hometown church, and begun building a home for her mother back in Honduras. And she is still dreaming. Rosa hopes to see all her children graduate, of owning her own home, and of continuing to grow in her career.

At MAF, we believe every family deserves the opportunity to build toward their dreams. By contributing to our ALMA Fund, you can stand alongside families like Rosa’s as they rebuild stability after the sudden detention or deportation of a loved one. Your support helps provide a lifeline in moments of crisis–turning moments of hardship into renewed hope for the future.

Together, we can continue making space for families to move forward on their own terms and toward the futures they imagine. Join us in keeping hope alive by supporting the ALMA Fund today.