Meet Maddeline and Daris Bartolon — immigrants who got the miracle they prayed for, thanks to a community who decided they would be strangers no longer.

(0:09) We meet Maddeline Lopez Bartolon, a 15-year-old choir member and parishioner at St. Gabriel in Detroit, who lives with a genetic condition called rickets.

(1:40) We learn about the Bartolon’s home in San Marcos, Guatemala, and the urgency of their need to come to the United States for Maddeline’s medical treatment.

(3:58) Kevin Piecuch, Executive Director at Southwest Detroit Immigration and Refugee Center, talks about some of the obstacles that face individuals and families trying to emigrate to the United States — and how long that can take.

(7:06) Enter: Strangers No Longer. We learn about the organization’s goal to support immigrants and refugees, and how they rallied around Maddeline and Daris to help them remain in the United States at least long enough to complete Maddeline’s treatment.

(11:03) Daris talks about the experience of receiving the deportation order and how at a loss she was for how to take care of Maddeline. Kevin then comes on board to make the Bartolons’ case to ICE.

(14:35) Irma, Kevin, and other Strangers No Longer members made calls, wrote letters, and advocated on behalf of Daris and Maddeline to postpone their deportation and win a humanitarian parole for them.

(16:59) Irma reflects on the moment they learned about the stay of deportation and what it meant for Maddeline and Daris. Kevin reflects on the change that a godly group of people can make when we raise our voices for a just cause.

Links from this episode:

Southwest Detroit Immigration and Refugee Center

Strangers No Longer

Reporting and narration by Casey McCorry; production by Ron Pangborn

Title: Miracle for Maddeline

[Maddeline singing]

Welcome to Detroit Stories, a podcast on a mission to boldly share the stories of the people and communities in Southeast Michigan. These are the stories that fascinate and inspire us.

The Bartolons are from a small mountainous village in San Marcos, Guatemala. A poor but beautiful farming community at the foothills of the Tacana Volcano. 60% of its residents live in poverty. Fifteen years ago Daris and her ex-husband gave birth to a little girl, Maddeline. As she grew they noticed she had bowed legs and a curved spine. She wasn’t growing as fast or as strong as her peers. The symptoms all pointed to the disorder rickets. This is Daris.

Daris: Rickets is a problem that affects all bones, her bones deform everything, including the teeth. It’s a tough problem for her and now it is affecting her kidneys and her heart, too.

Narrator: Rickets is the softening or weakening of bones in children, usually a result of vitamin deficiency. Today in the U.S. it’s extremely rare, but in places like Guatemala, where 50% of its children are malnourished, it's more common. Those with rickets often have delayed growth and motor skills, skeletal deformities, malformed legs, muscle weakness and pain in the spine, pelvis, and legs. If left untreated it can lead to failure to grow, dental defects, and seizures. Daris was determined to find her daughter the medical treatment she needed, but in Guatemala where there are 3 doctors per 10,000 people that would be extremely difficult. Every door she knocked on yielded a bleak response: “The care your daughter needs is not here.”

Maddeline’s condition wasn’t the only concern for Daris’ family.

Daris: Also, we lived a life filled with problems with my ex-husband, the father of my two girls, we experienced a lot of domestic violence.

Narrator: Daris’ husband was abusive and addicted to drugs. Every penny Daris worked for setting aside for her daughter’s medical treatment he stole to buy drugs. Whenever Daris stood up for herself things got violent. It’s an unfortunately common story in Guatemala, where 88% of reported crimes against women go unpunished.

This is Kevin Piecuch, the Executive Director at Southwest Detroit Immigration and Refugee Center.

Kevin: There are laws on the books that say domestic violence is illegal and there have been plenty of statements made by government officials saying “We don't call it this in our society,” but in practice, when you see the actual way that police often turn, you know, turn their eye in cases, you know, oftentimes husbands are considered, you know, the wife and daughters are chattel and, you know, treated in a very, very disrespectful way. And that's allowed, unfortunately, and prevalent in many areas and places like Guatemala.

Narrator: Daris made the decision to go to the United States. She had a sister in Michigan who said she might be able to find medical specialists for her daughter. But to come legally would be extremely complicated.

Kevin: If you happen to be a poor farmer from Guatemala, and you want to get a visa to come emigrate to the United States, the number of available visas is infinitesimally small. There are very, very, very, very, very few people that can get that visa. And one thing that's required is you have to — Oh, and by the way, there's not a poor people's visa. To get one of these beads, as you also have to prove that you are not going to be an economic burden. So if you can't prove that you're coming with money or that you're going to be able to get a job right away, if you look like you may have to use welfare or be what's called a “public charge,” you can be denied that visa. So not only are there only a few hundred of these visas available, most people who are the type of people who we serve would never get that visa anyway. And even when you've heard of things called chain migration, even family-based visas, if you have family members who were here, it could take up to 24 years before your visa is even approved. 24 years is the average wait time for people from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. And if you need to help your family now, getting a visa that's good in 24 years, doesn't offer much help.

Narrator: Daris didn’t have 24 years. The clock was ticking for her daughter who had developed kidney and heart issues. Daris’ last hope was to apply for asylum.

Daris: I want to apologize for the way I entered into this country, but I couldn’t do it in any other way. I know some people have been able to come legally, maybe they have money; sadly, I was born in an low-income family and I couldn’t pay. I couldn’t find a visa; that is why I entered the United States illegally, so I want to apologize to everyone. I didn’t ask to be poor, simply I’m facing a situation, and thank you so much for opening the doors of this country, for me it has been a blessing of God to be here.

[meeting sounds]

Narrator: It started with a small brainstorming session of 16 in the basement of Gesu Parish. Motivated by Pope Francis’ call to do what we can for the “least” among us, they were discussing how best to support Detroit’s immigrant and refugee population. That meeting bloomed into a conference at the University of Detroit Mercy where over 150 lay people, bishops, priests and sisters, all came eager to learn how to create what are called “Circles of Support” that care for the local immigrants within and outside their parishes. Since that meeting, Strangers No Longer now has representation in 18 parishes and religious communities throughout the archdiocese. The work of the Circles is all-encompassing and ever-growing. If there’s a need, this group will find an answer. This is Irma Landin-Obregon, who oversees the Circle of Support at the Basilica of St. Anne de Detroit.

Irma: it's an organization that tries to provide support for immigrant families. So we provide support in terms of direct services for them, helping them in, you know, basic needs that they have or emergency needs that they might have, like, for example, you know, if one of the spouse has been detained, then we — and the spouse that's left with the children, whatever — you know, they have needs in terms of food and, you know, getting the kids to school and doctor appointments and whatever. So we tried to provide support to the family in that regard.

Narrator: Two years after arriving to the U.S. Daris really needed that support. While her asylum application was being reviewed, she was given a temporary work permit which allowed her to provide for her daughters. During this time Daris doggedly pursued answers about Maddeline’s condition and was able to secure treatment at the Shriner’s Hospital in Chicago. Daris’ asylum request was denied. She appealed with the Board of Immigration, but lost. Daris had no worker’s permit and mouths to feed. A man at her church told her about Strangers No Longer, so Daris hopped on a bus from Detroit’s west side to Ste. Anne’s for a meeting, where she met the two people who would become incredibly important to her: Irma and Kevin. Here’s Irma.

Irma: Daris to me is just an amazing person. She's just a very strong and loving mother. And she has just been so determined from the time she's been here in the United States to find a way to help her daughter. She was determined and she didn't give in hopelessness or, you know, “How am I going to be able to do this?” You know, she has a strong, strong faith in God and that God is going to provide.

Narrator: Irrma drove Daris and Maddeline to Chicago for her treatment and surgeries. She accompanied them to monthly check-ins at the immigration office and provided translation. When Daris’ work permit was removed after her political asylum application was denied, the group helped support the family with basic needs.

Daris: They are my angels because I didn’t know anything about them and all of a sudden, they appeared.

Narrator: In November the Bartolon’s were celebrating some milestones. Maddeline had just undergone leg surgery and was recovering in leg braces. She would need more surgeries, but this felt like a promising step. Daris was 5 months pregnant and had just found out she would be having a little boy. But the family received the news they had been dreading.

Daris: I remember it was November 9th that I was at the immigration office and he told me by December 9th I had to go back to my country, that I had to leave. And I said, how? And he said “You need to bring the tickets and you have to leave.” I was very scared and I was crying and saying, “My God, and my daughter just had a surgery. How can I do it? What are they thinking? Where is a human being here?” I was very scared. How do I take my daughter back? At least if my daughter was not like that, I could go, but what can I do? I remember that all the month of November, waiting for the date to be deported, I was very frustrated, very desperate. I felt we were out of options. Seeing my daughter with those braces that she wears and I said, Oh my God, what can I do? And thanks to Strangers No Longer, they began working to see how they could help.

Kevin: I got a very urgent phone call. This was, gee, I think it was Thanksgiving weekend. But anyway, Daris was being told by ICE she had a final order of deportation.

Narrator: This is Kevin Piecuch again. In addition to being the founder and executive director of the Southwest Detroit Immigration and Refugee Center, he’s also a member of the Strangers No Longer group at his parish, St. Monica and St. Augustine. And in these situations, he’s the guy to call.

Narrator: Strangers No Longer members contacted state representatives, dozens of parish priests, and Maddeline’s teachers to write letters on their behalf confirming how crucial her medical care was. But what was most compelling to Daris was the way they supported her the day Daris went to meet ICE.

Daris: Irma, the lady who drives us to Maddeline’s treatments, picked us up. When we arrived, we turned from Jefferson to Elliot, and on the left side I saw a guy by the name Lenny, who has also helped us a lot, and he waved his hand and I waved mine and said maybe he lives around here. And then, I saw another person, and I said, “What are they doing here?” I didn’t know of everything Strangers No Longer had prepared for me. When I got out of the car, the attorney was there and I saw another person, and then I saw more people. There were my daughter’s teachers, I remember. I was very surprised. At that moment I felt stronger, with more courage, I didn’t feel scared at that moment when I saw everybody supporting me. I felt strengthened to face the situation.

Narrator: When Daris and her daughter pulled up to the Detroit ICE field office on a cloudy and frigid day, it wasn’t the run-down grey building they saw, but a crowd of loving supporters. Opening the car door were Maddeline’s teachers who we’re Zooming in her classmates yelling well wishes and support. Kevin Piecuch, a handful of friends and parishioners, and even members of Strangers No Longer the family had never met were there. The group convened, held hands, and prayed.

[Hail Mary prayed in Spanish]

And Kevin went into the office where their fate would be determined.

Narrator: Before I explain what happened, I should first explain that Kevin only wins 10% of his cases. That’s not because he’s a bad lawyer. He’s a very good lawyer. In immigration law, 10% is about as good as it gets. The odds were not in their favor. Daris was told to expect several hours, endless questioning and tears. But that’s not what happened. Daris and Maddeline were never even called inside. Kevin went inside for an unprecedented 20 minutes. He came out with good news: Daris and Maddeline could stay another year. She could finish the treatment.

Irma: That moment was just difficult to describe. And we were all waiting out there and Daris and I were in line, you know, we're waiting to be admitted to go into the office. And Kevin had gone in ahead of us. And so then he came out and he said, “Well, we have news for, you know, good news for you.” And so then he shared with us, you know, that they had agreed to give her a stay of deportation. And so everyone was just jumping for joy and just so thrilled and crying and happy, you know, for this news, it was just like a miracle, you know? So she didn't even have to go inside. You know, he came out, spoken with the agents and they had let him know. And so we were all just thrilled and just so happy. And everyone’s just so thrilled and excited and we’re just so grateful to God for all of the support that we got from everyone, you know. It truly made a difference. It made a big difference. It made the difference.

Daris: I don’t know what to say, other than it was miracle. I was very happy because finally we could follow my daughter’s treatment without being afraid that I was going to be deported soon.

[News statement]

Kevin: It felt unlike anything else. I felt the spirit of God. It was as if God had made it, worked it all out, God had done all the work. When the people of God raise their voice in a respectful and honest and godly manner, I mean, the government will listen. And I was so delighted that we, as Christians, as Catholic Christians, felt strongly enough to, to raise our voice in a just cause. And I can tell you how moving it was for all of us to feel that the prayers, that the hard work, that the legitimate efforts we put into play were — bore fruit. And the fruit is this family that would have been deported, was not. And they get to stay, and this child is going to be able to get the treatments that she needs, and the girls will get to continue to sing in the choir, and we will all be blessed by their presence.

[Maddeline singing]

Detroit Stories is a production of Detroit Catholic and the communications department of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or wherever you get your podcasts.