My name is Christina Ponthieux. I am 11 years old. I attend JFK Magnet Middle School. First Speaker Pelosi, let me congratulate you for being voted Speaker of the House for the second time! I feel extremely happy for you. Speaker Pelosi, I came to talk to you when you came to Miami to help Congresswoman Donna Shalala, but I could not get in because a group of angry people were making a lot of racket. I was scared but not too much because my dad, Rony Ponthieux was there and my mentor and second mom: Ms Marleine Bastien. The Secret Service was nice, but they closed the doors, and no one could get in. I was very disappointed, but I did not cry.
The reason for my letter is to ask you to help me and over 275,000 US born children of Temporary Protected Status families. Few people talk about the fact that if a permanent solution is not found for my parents who both have TPS, and the other 300,000 from Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador , Sudan, and others, the US will witness the biggest deportation of US born children like me to nations in turmoil where our lives will be in danger. Look at what is going on now in Haiti. I heard that there was a massacre in Haiti recently. Even children were killed. Do you think that it’ll be safe for the 27,000 of us Americans to go back there? My parents already said they will not leave me behind. Do you blame them? Children belong with their parents, not in cages, not dead!
As a Family Action Network Movemenent (FANM) youth leader and co-chair of C-FAR : Children For Family Reunification, I beg you Speaker Pelosi to help pass a law to help my parents and the 300,000 others to stay. My parents are both nurses, and they are good people just like the other TPS recipients.
Speaker Pelosi, you are the big boss now. You can help the U.S born children of TPS recipients like me, the DACA youths, and those being separated from their moms and dads at the border where two of them recently died. It is so sad to come here to be safe and die. You can do something about that. I heard that the TPS is going to court on Monday. I pray, I pray that we win. I know that we have to be our part too, and that’s why I am reaching out to you.
I believe in you Speaker Pelosi. You are not scared of President Trump. You can do it. I will help the best I can if you call on me.
Again, Congratulations.
Love
Christina
