Writer Emma Lazurus’ words at the base of the Statue of Liberty, for a long time, were meaningful and emblematic of a nation. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” were the then sentiments of a nation of immigrants. But times change.
An explosion of anti-immigrant Americans now believe they were words for another time. Immigrants, they now believe, especially those crossing our southern border, don’t belong here and need to return to their countries. They blame immigrants for crime, disease, and as ex-president Trump recently said, for ‘poisoning out nation’s blood.’
But despite the chorus of anti-immigrants, the United States still remains a beacon of hope and sanctuary for a better life. That’s where people like Alamosa’s Flora Archuleta come in.
For more than twenty years, Archuleta has been key in smoothing the path for new arrivals coming to stay in the San Luis Valley or others passing through to other places.
Archuleta is the Executive Director of the San Luis Valley Migrant Resource Center. It’s a place where new arrivals or others who’ve been in the country for years come to when they need help for everything from green card issues to clarifying DACA questions. It’s quick, easy and, perhaps most critical, affordable.
“We do not charge what an attorney might charge,” said Archuleta in a recent phone call. “Some attorneys might charge up to $2,500 (for services). I charge $200. It all depends on the service.”
Some clients come in needing help when dealing with an immediate immigration issue. Others, like a woman Archuleta recently helped, had her purse stolen. It contained her green card, the proof an immigrant is required to have for remaining in the country. A normal fee for replacing a green card would probably have been well beyond the woman’ means.
Other times, people will come to her office because they’ve become victims of domestic violence and need a place to stay, or they’ve become crime victims and are afraid not having the right documents to show immigration officials will result in deportation. Not having the right paperwork can change a life.
Archuleta said that unlike a lot of American cities experiencing a sudden influx of immigrants, Alamosa and the Valley don’t have an immigrant rush. “We don’t have many new arrivals,” she said. “The reason many of them come here is they’re going somewhere else.” They’re also coming to see Archuleta, she said, because “the (Alamosa) ICE office recently closed.” The next closest government office for immigration issues is located in Florence, a three-hour drive from Alamosa.
Archuleta, the Valley’s long-time immigration lifeline, said her office helps “around 2,000” individuals each year. “Some would not be able to survive without us.” In those cases, her office provides food, money for utilities and vouchers for temporary shelter. Utilities can mean the difference between life and death in the Valley where wintertime temperatures can drop to 30 or more degrees below zero.
The immigration advocate said the Valley is also coming up on one of the times each year for immigrants needing a hand. “In December, the holidays, we see a lot more crime victims.”
Because, as Archuleta says, the immigrant population in and around Alamosa is mainly static, she has clients who, when they first met her, now have children coming to the center. They come for everything from applying for college to getting help with school. “We do educational outreach,” said Archuleta. “We also do ESL (English as a Second Language) for adults.” Her office also provides “an after-school tutoring program.”
The people the San Luis Valley Migrant Resource Center helps, said Archuleta, are an essential population in the Valley. Her center not only helps those coming through on their way to other places, but it provides stability for others working in the potato warehouses and other agricultural operations that dot the Valley. “These places would not be able to survive…they rely on them.” Local employers, she said, “know they are dependable and that’s why a lot of them look for them.”
For more information on the San Luis Valley Migrant Resource Center, visit its website at The San Luis Valley Immigrant Resource Center (slvirc.org) or call 719.587.3225.
