But since September 2016, I have been in immigration detention at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange. I have spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, and Easter without being able to hold or be with my loved ones.

I already lost everything once from being in immigration detention for more than one year beginning in 2013. When I was first detained, I was held at James Musick Facility in Irvine, then I was transferred to Theo Lacy, and then to the for-profit GEO Group detention center in Adelanto.

Volunteers from Friends of Orange County Detainees and Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC) visited me while I was detained. These organizations visit people in detention to end their isolation–to hear their stories, provide a link to families and friends, occasionally help them find legal counsel, or simply provide a sympathetic ear. They brought me hope in my darkest moments. They told Congresswoman Judy Chu about my case. She came to visit me, and told me not to give up. With their support, I was released from detention in 2014.

I have attended all of my check-ins with immigration in Los Angeles since then. Last September, the immigration officer decided to re-detain me. I was told at this regular check-in that my stay of removal had been denied four months earlier. I was told that immigration just might have forgotten to send me or my lawyer the notice. We never received it. Because we failed to appeal, I was taken into custody and have been detained here at Theo Lacy ever since.

I never thought I would be detained again or stay in this place so long. It’s been really hard for me in here. Thinking that the government wants me and my business to fall apart is heartbreaking. I really worked hard for my business. My girlfriend is a US citizen. We want to marry and put this nightmare behind us.