- 'Hola Tallahassee' is a nonprofit that can connect Spanish-speaking neighbors with trustworthy resources, like immigration lawyers.
- Neighbors in our Hispanic communities say the language barrier can make it hard to keep up with developments in immigration policies.
- Watch the video to learn more about these resources.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
As government measures regarding immigration tighten, many in our Hispanic communities say it can be hard to keep up with what’s happening and have confidence in knowing what to do. I’m Kenya Cardonne in the Quincy neighborhood, speaking with one local nonprofit working to ease confusion and fear for many in the Big Bend by educating them and connecting them with helpful resources.
Jeisha Marval & Gabriela Ruiz, Neighbors - “Sí, la verdad es que la mayor parte del tiempo todo está en inglés..”
‘The truth is most of the time, everything is in English,’ say Jeisha Marval and Gabriela Ruiz.
It’s a barrier that many in our Hispanic community face, making it difficult to stay informed about things like developments in federal policies on immigration.
Ruiz - “Toca traducir para poder entender por lo menos las noticias con lo que ha estado pasando últimamente con los inmigrantes. Todo toca traducirlo."
‘Everything needs translation in order to at least understand the news with what’s happening lately with immigrants,’ says Ruiz.
Difficulty with understanding coupled with news of raids surging across the county, has led to fear.
Erika Rojas, Founder of Hola Tallahassee - “Y están muy, muy asustados. De verdad que es un pánico bastante grande que hay en la comunidad.”
’They’re very, very scared,’ says Erika Rojas.
She’s the founder of Hola Tallahassee, a nonprofit that connects Hispanic neighbors with resources to help them navigate things like education, medical care and immigration status.
She tells me requests for help have spiked lately, explaining there’s a lot of panic within the Hispanic community.
Rojas - “So that's pretty much most of the questions that I'm getting when people get to me: What do I need to do? What lawyer should I trust? Should I do this? Or where are my kids going to be?”
It’s why she’s encouraging neighbors to lean on Hola Tallahassee as they work to keep neighbors informed of what’s happening and connect them with trusted experts who can help.
Rojas - “Sea porque están recién llegados al país, sea porque necesitan traer familiares al país — nosotros los ayudamos a trabajar con abogados que sean confiables para que no hayan estafas, que desafortunadamente hay muchos.”
‘Whether it’s because they have recently arrived to this country, or because they need to bring their family members here— we help them work with trustworthy lawyers to avoid scams, which unfortunately, there are many,’ says Rojas.
Ruiz - “Es muy bueno porque por lo menos la gente que viene llegando y no entiende nada y necesita ayuda y no tiene quien lo ayude.”
‘It’s very good,’ Ruiz says after learning about the nonprofit's efforts, adding, ‘especially for immigrants who arrive to the U.S. and don’t understand anything and need help and don’t have anyone who can help them.’
As Hola Tallahassee tries to weave its efforts into communities across the Big Bend, neighbors say it’s a necessity during a time when they feel their time here.. is ticking.
Marval - “Pasan estas cosas y uno queda como con esa frustración ‘que hago?’ Porque si me regreso no voy a tener la vida que deseo o que quiero darle a mi familia.”
’These things happen and one stays with the frustration of ‘what do I do? Because if I return to my home country, I won’t have the life I want or the life I want to give my family,’ says Marval.
Hola Tallahassee not only serves Leon County, but Gadsden County and parts of South Georgia as well. They say they are expanding their services to help as many neighbors in the Big Bend as they can.
Here's how you can contact them:
Phone: 850-328-9546
Email: holatallahassee@yahoo.com
Instagram: @holatallahassee
