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."
ICE did not respond to a request for information about her husband's arrest by deadline. Her children began noticing his absence.
"They asked if daddy was working and why he left his phone at home," Arianna said. "They said it was strange."
She told them part of the truth -- that they were traveling to Guatemala -- but not that the move would be permanent.
"Children need their father," she said. "I'm doing this because they need him emotionally. I'm doing this for my family."
The family still doesn't know how they will support themselves once they return.
"We don't know how their [the kids] future is going to be," Arianna said. "We're going back to our country, and we will have to figure it out once we're there."
As deportations have increased, a local grassroots organization, Voices of Bonita, began hearing stories like Arianna's. The group launched a $100 emergency grant program to help families facing sudden financial crises after losing a breadwinner. So far, five families have received grants. Arianna was one of them.
"In a situation like that, any support -- emotional or financial is very welcome," she said. "I felt grateful."
The local crisis mirrors a national trend with the administration's expanded immigration enforcement efforts. The Department of Homeland Security recently increased its self-deportation stipend from $1,000 to $2,600 for undocumented migrants who use a government mobile app. The financial crisis hits the moment someone is deported, said Ajpaal Kalyanmasih, co-founder of Voices of Bonita.
"As soon as someone loses a breadwinner, they need money right away," Kalyanmasih said. "So, why don't we give them $100 bucks right in their hands? They can pay rent or buy food."
He recognizes the grants are modest, but says they provide critical relief.
"The quantity is small, but the quality of it is a lot bigger, because it suddenly gives them hope that there are people who really do care about their situation," Kalyanmasih said. He described another recipient, Griselle, who became severely depressed after her family member was detained and couldn't leave her house for some time.
"When she got the $100 and then we started talking to her, she realized that there are people that are giving her some hope," he said.
The organization launched in July 2025 and plans to continue the emergency assistance program as long as funding allows.
"I would like the community to know that we just really care about our neighbors," Kalyanmasih said. "We really don't see the person next to us as an immigrant or a citizen, they're just a neighbor in need and they're being marginalized. We want to cushion some of the challenges they're facing and let them know that there is some decency and humanity left in their immediate streets."
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