Picture yourself dropped on the other side of the Texas-Mexican border, in the midst of a bloody drug war. You can’t find work and your only income is contributions from friends, church groups and teenagers donating lunch money.
The only house you can afford to rent has a dirt floor and no air conditioning, in the midst of a slum where bodies are found on the street in the morning. You only know a couple of people, your kids don’t want to come across to visit, and your mom can’t take the heat.
That is what freedom is like for Carla Ramos Becerra. After being locked up in the Brownsville jail for more than four years and then acquitted of the crime, the 28-year-old was deported for having once entered the US without papers. Since May, she has struggled to find her footing.
“I have no job, no money and some of the time, no food,” she says.
“She deserves better,” says her longtime champion, educator Gail Hanson. “She was put through so much and has lost everything, mostly because of mistakes and prejudice.” Hanson and teacher Iriela Cox have been taking her dollars and supplies, but they are worried about her.
“Carla came from a background of abuse and she has had a real struggle with depression in the past,” says Hanson. After talking with Carla, she recognizes her growing depression.
She needs a job and counseling (know anyone in Matamoros?) but one other thing we could all do to encourage her: send a letter, gift or pretty card.
We’ll forward your mail to her mother who will carry it to her at the bridge. It will take you 10 minutes to make a real difference.
Carla Ramos Becerra
c/o Texas Jail Project
1712 E. Riverside Dr. Box 190
Austin, TX 78741