The 23-year-old Guatemalan girl had decided to emigrate to the United States with her mother and died in a fatal accident in California along with 12 other immigrants. His uncle claimed they had left the country because of the violence.
Guatemalan Yesenia Magali Melendrez Cardona spent most of her 23 years knowing that the United States was a haven for people fleeing violence and death. Therefore, he was encouraged, along with his mother, Berlin Cardona, to follow the path his relatives had already traveled to start a new life, without knowing that he would experience a tragedy.
Yesenia and her mother were traveling, along with 23 other people, in the van that hit a truck near the California-Mexico border last Tuesday, leaving 13 dead and 13 injured. The young woman was one of the fatalities, while her mother was injured.
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“Yesenia has left everything behind her, the university, her job, her friends, because she knew she would find peace here (in the US), and that her life would be far from violence,” said Rudy Domínguez, Yesenia’s uncle. mother’s side, against Efe.
Domínguez assured the two Guatemalans were on the run from a death threat.
The need to leave Chiquimulilla, the Guatemalan department of Santa Rosa, even forced them to hide their departure from a number of family members and friends. “Very few knew,” he remarked.
Kill that stalker
“That journey was really a necessity to save their lives,” Rudy stressed about the irony of the young woman’s death.
And it is that Berlin had experienced firsthand the consequences of violence 16 years ago when it had to care for Rudy after he was the victim of a firearms attack.
The Guatemalan man was hit by a bullet in the head. The scars that have been left and the pain that comes and goes daily remind him of the danger that exists in his country, and the reason he left it behind he could barely recover.
‘We all lived in the same house, and Berlin was the one who took care of me. And although Yesenia was small, she also realized the risks, ”she confirmed.
About 10 people were killed in a collision between an overloaded passenger van and a truck Tuesday morning, and several were injured in Southern California, traffic police said. Photo: EDH / EFE / Sandy Huffaker
The reunion that never took place
The two women began their journey on February 2. After arriving in Baja California, Mexico, they stayed there for about a week before joining a Ford expedition adapted to transport 24 immigrants and their driver, a young Mexican who was also killed in the crash.
Yesenia had the illusion of reuniting with her younger brother, who had flown to California weeks earlier.
‘That meeting could not take place. The boy was waiting for her, ”said Rudy.
Yesenia’s father immigrated to the United States more than 15 years ago and lives in New York. He couldn’t see his daughter either.
Rudy knows firsthand what it means not to be able to say goodbye to loved ones. He was unable to attend his mother’s funeral in Guatemala 11 months ago. Nor could he hug his niece.
NO TIME TO Cry
No time to cry
Berlin left the hospital on Thursday and is recovering from his injuries at Rudy’s house. The little he remembers is that after passing out from the impact, he woke up with his daughter in his arms.
“He already had no vital signs,” the mother told local media.
Rudy wanted to stay at home to care for his sister, but the financial obligations of medical treatment in Berlin and the repatriation of Yesenia’s remains do not allow him to stop working.
“We barely shed a few tears, and we had to keep fighting,” said the Guatemalan, who had the arduous task of identifying his niece.
An account was opened on the GoFundMe site in the name of “Yessenia Cardona RIP” to help the family.
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“We will also need a lot of help with Berlin; He still needs medical attention, and I think psychological attention, ”Rudy stressed.
He also called on, especially the Hispanic community, to stop the criticism of undocumented immigration: “They cannot judge lightly. Nobody leaves their home because they want to. They’re doing it out of necessity, ”he said in a creaky voice.
He argued that it was not an easy decision for Yesenia to give up her law school at the University of San Carlos, her job and her friends on the soccer team. The young woman was part of Chiquimulilla’s well-being, which is why they want to bring her back there.
No IDs
The family will have to wait several weeks to receive the young woman’s body. Yesterday, DNA tests confirmed to authorities that Yesenia was Berlin’s daughter. The two immigrants traveled without identification.
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), of the 12 injured migrants, only three could be identified from a photo document.
This Friday, authorities are attempting to establish the identity of a child under the age of 15 hospitalized at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
The authorities have not been able to determine the nationalities of Jorge Gutiérrez Martínez, 24, and Esteban Montiel, 22. Both immigrants are in the same medical center, the CHP explained.
A minor under 16 years of age is also among the injured migrants. Three other injured are under the age of 30.
Undated family photo of Guatemalan Yesenia Magali Melendrez Cardona (i) and her mother Berlin Cardona, who were traveling with 23 other people in the van that hit a truck last Tuesday. Photo: EDH / EFE / Rudy Domínguez
The information from the 13 deceased has gained momentum. It is known that there are 10 Mexicans, from the states of Oaxaca (3), Michoacán (3), Guerrero (1), Morelos (1), Nayarit (1) and Baja California (1).
Yesenia, another Guatemalan, and a third unidentified migrant who died, complete the list of the greatest tragedy involving undocumented immigrants in California in recent years.