Local educator knows first-hand why caravans are coming

Posted 2/22/19

Eduardo relaxes at home with his wife, Audrey Ziomek, and their twin boys, Edward Tomas Duenas and Carl Jose Duenas, 22 months old. by Len Lear Regarding the caravans from Central America that have …

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Local educator knows first-hand why caravans are coming

Posted

Eduardo relaxes at home with his wife, Audrey Ziomek, and their twin boys, Edward Tomas Duenas and Carl Jose Duenas, 22 months old.

by Len Lear

Regarding the caravans from Central America that have been trying to come to the U.S., why is it that so many people are willing to give up everything they have known to try to come here, even on foot, when the odds are so much against them?

“More than anything, the reason is despair,” explains Eduardo Duenas. “Despair that your children might die due to street violence, despair to see people graduating from the university and still not having even a single job opportunity. The desperation of not having access to any kind of decent health system. The desperation of having nothing to eat, among many other things. The caravans happen because highly corrupt governments are not interested in helping poor people.”

Duenas, 35, is speaking not from watching the news on TV but from his own life experience. The Schuylkill Center’s manager of school programs in upper Roxborough, he came to the U.S. from Honduras four years ago (legally) and has permanent resident status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He is married to a U.S. citizen, Audrey Ziomek, and is passionate in teaching children about nature.

Duenas, who said he basically had “no job opportunities” in his native land despite being well educated and bi-lingual, has a message for the American people regarding the Central American caravans that are trying to come to the U.S.: “These people are not your enemies. They are just trying to survive for their children. They are not here to steal, and actually inside this group of people are many with good skills who can contribute to making a positive impact on our society. Yes, as in any large segment of people, there may be some bad people, but the vast majority are decent people who just want a chance to work hard for a better life.

“In these groups are young children, adults and elderly people. We are talking about human beings who are walking 5,000 miles in incredibly difficult conditions to give their children and families an opportunity to survive. If we can imagine trying to walk from Philadelphia to New York City with a child, a fraction of their journey, we can start to put ourselves in their shoes and imagine the desperation they must feel.

“I completely understand the need for immigration control. I spent over two years going through the visa process to receive my green card, but these people are following a legal action to request asylum and enter the country. They simply deserve to be treated with respect and allowed to follow a fair immigration process.”

What are the biggest differences between life in Honduras and life in the U.S.? “Well, for me, the climate. I’m from the Caribbean north coast of Honduras, which is very warm year round. The language, of course, is different, and many cultural aspects are different. For example, life is very safe here in general. In Honduras, even going to the grocery store can be dangerous due to gang and street violence. Infrastructure here is also vastly different; from the quality of hospitals to roads, a lot of things that we take for granted here are very difficult in Honduras.”

In Honduras, when Duenas entered a university, he was sure he wanted to be a lawyer. However, he later lost his motivation “simply because I did not want to do something that was against my values. For example, I did not want to have to defend a criminal who was guilty only because he was my client.”

Duenas later enrolled in a La Salle University program in San Jose, Costa Rica, where he earned degrees in environmental management and sustainable development. That is where he met his wife, a Villanova native who happened to be working in Costa Rica at the time. They now have 22-month-old twin boys, Edward Tomas and Carl Jose.

How is Duenas' family in Honduras doing? “My family is having difficult times, as is any other middle class family in Honduras, but I have to say that they are not as bad off as the majority of the population that doesn’t have anything and are dealing with sub-standard living conditions.”

Duenas is very grateful for the reception he has received in the Philadelphia area. “All the people I have ever met since I moved here have been amazingly good to me. I know that not all immigrants have had such a welcoming experience, but I have had a great experience in my four years here. I have loved living in the Philadelphia area; Go Eagles!”

For more information, visit schuylkillcenter.org

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