— During an
forum on Monday in Willmar, Jenny Groen shared stories of immigrants living in Willmar who had their immigration status suddenly change, with no warning or explanation, and how it has affected them and their families.
Groen is the Willmar area program manager for
The faith-based organization welcomes newly arrived immigrant and refugee families to the community, helping them navigate processes here, settle into life and find a community that is supportive of them.
The goal is to help the entire community with the transitional nature of immigration, bridging the gap between new arrivals and those who have been here a long time to help the community flourish.
“I’m here because I care about everyone in this community, the people who were born here, the people who lived here their whole lives, and the people who are here now from other countries and trying to make this their home,” Groen said.
She acknowledged that there are immigrants who have committed crimes, and people want local law enforcement to do their jobs regarding criminal activity.
“I’m not standing up here today against our local law enforcement in any way. I want them to do their job,” she said. “But what I’m seeing is that there is this distinction between what was legal and now being told it is illegal, people who are not criminals, being labeled as criminals, and then that being a justification for not following due process with them.”
Bethesda loses Haitian immigrant employee
An immigrant Haitian woman arrived in Willmar and began learning English, attended
to get her nursing license and worked at Bethesda, “an asset to our community in every way,” Groen said.
While having dinner together one night, the nurse received an email to self-deport within 20 days.
“We were completely shocked, because we knew the legal process she was in, that she had been through. We knew that she had everything in line legally, and we could not see one single reason why she would receive this deportation notice,” Groen said.
The letter stated that if the woman did not leave the country within 20 days, she could be arrested, detained and forcefully deported, losing her ability ever to apply to re-enter the United States again.
Soon after receiving the letter, the woman’s work permit was revoked and she could no longer work at Bethesda to support herself. She left the country, having her nursing license transferred to Canada, because she wanted to follow the laws of the United States. She was accepted as an asylum seeker in Canada due to conditions in Haiti.
“So that was the legal becoming illegal,” Groen said. “She had legal status, and then she didn’t, and because she didn’t, she could be deported.”
Ukrainian family loses status of humanitarian parole
A Ukrainian family with two young boys arrived in Willmar a couple of years ago under
which has to be renewed every couple of years. Suddenly, the family informed Groen they would be moving in a week because their humanitarian parole renewal application had been denied, without explanation.
Although the family appealed the denial and obtained legal counsel, their application continued to be denied.
“I cannot take my boys back home. Home is not safe,” Groen said the mother told her. “There’s still bombs falling. We ran from our home. It was trauma for me and my children. I can’t go back. There’s no place to go back to.”
Again, wanting to follow the laws of the United States, the family self-deported and is now on a temporary visa in Europe, not knowing where they will end up.
“And so the instability just continues, and the reasoning, we don’t know, we don’t understand, we can’t figure out,” Groen said.
Honduran couple in Willmar for 27 years lose work permits
An immigrant couple from Honduras with legal status had their work permits revoked. The couple has lived in Willmar for 27 years, raising their children and grandchildren here, and most of their family members are legal U.S. citizens.
The two continue to reapply for their work permits but so far without success. They are unsure what to do. Moving back to Honduras would separate them from family and they would likely not be able to return to the United States.
“And so there’s these impossible decisions that families are having to make, and what I’m seeing over and over and over again is what was legal is now illegal,” Groen said. “ … We just keep trying to figure out why. Why is this happening? Why these changes and is this what we want? Is this what’s good for our communities? Is this making us safer? Is this making our city better? I would say no, it’s not, because these are not the people who are causing any sort of problems.”
Honduran mom loses asylum status
Finally, Groen shared the story of “one of the strongest women I have ever met in my life,” a Honduran mom who fled an abusive relationship with her 4-year-old son. It took months to travel, walking from Honduras to Mexico, at times carrying her young son.
“When his legs got too tired, when his feet started bleeding, I’d pick him up and put him on my back, and we keep going,” Groen recounted the woman telling her.
She waited a year for her meeting with Border Patrol, which she set up by using the
according to Groen. The CBP One app was launched by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in October of 2020 to provide travelers with access to certain CBP functions before they arrived in the United States, according to the American Immigration Council.
Under the Biden administration the app expanded to allow migrants without entry documents to schedule appointments at designated ports of entry on the southern border to access the U.S. asylum process and, in May of 2023, it became the primary method by which asylum seekers could enter the United States at ports of entry.
“She came on her appointed day, at her appointed time with her son. They requested asylum. They filled out the paperwork, they filed the paperwork. They’re here,” Groen said. “They’re living here legally. She’s awaiting her court date, and she’s working three jobs right now to provide for her child and to save up as much money as they can to be able to purchase a home.”
However, the Trump administration immediately ended the use of CBP One for purposes of processing asylum seekers and the woman was told that she is undocumented because she used the app to make the appointment.
“She did nothing else wrong. She has followed every law. She has always told the government where she lives, when she’s moving, where she’s working — every single thing that she could do to remain compliant, she has done. And it’s because she used the app,” Groen said.
Being undocumented now leaves the woman at risk of being arrested, detained and deported by ICE. “It doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make any sense for our community to have that happen,” Groen said.
She read to the audience a letter the woman wrote to
expressing the “anguish and pain that the new laws” being implemented are causing the immigrant community, who “truly love” the country that has provided new opportunities.
“Not all of us are criminals. Most of us are here doing things right. We ask for permission to enter. We work to support our families. We don’t hurt anyone. We just want a better life, something we cannot achieve in our countries, because violence will stop us at all times,” the letter states.
It goes on to ask the president to listen to people’s voices and stop massive deportations, noting that immigrants are just seeking a better life where they can feel safe and happy.
“The majority of the people being caught up in this and being labeled as criminal — the ones who will hurt the most from the deportations — they are our neighbors,” Groen said. “They are kids in our schools. They sit next to us in church. They’re helping to get your Walmart order ready. They’re working at Jennie-O. They’re taking care of your grandparents. They’re cleaning the hospital at night. They’re nurses. They’re teachers. They’re tech people at our hospital. I am naming all people that I know.”
Groen asked the audience to imagine all those immigrants suddenly being told their legal status is no longer valid and leaving Willmar.
“We are not a big community. They support so many of our businesses, and it will not be OK,” she continued. “If this is fully followed through on, we will all suffer, and that is why I am deeply concerned about the changes that have happened and just ask, as a community, that we come alongside each other and understand that this will hurt every single person who lives here.”