As Deisy Maria Tovar Castellano stands at the gates of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock Aug. 8, she clutches a small handkerchief in her hands. At first, she uses the handkerchief to wipe away sweat. Soon, she uses it to wipe away tears.
Castellano, 57, was born in Venezuela in a decade marked by political instability in the country.
“My life was very simple. I grew up with two brothers and my mother, who pushed us forward alone, like in so many homes,” Castellano said in Spanish, interpreted by Sarah Alvarez, an interpreter with Catholic Charities of Arkansas.
Castellano met her husband, Edgar Esmith Cordero Cordova, 60, at a party when she was 15 years old, and “from there, we were practically always together,” she said.
Together, Castellano and Cordova raised four children. But soon, political upheaval and economic disparity spread throughout the region during Hugo Chávez’s reign.
“Life in Venezuela became a tragedy after Chávez came to power (in 1999) and began the division of our brothers, who disagreed with the government (that people) had no right to anything or health or education — that is paramount.”
Castellano, who worked in school transportation for 25 years, found herself in the middle of the political discussion. As the situation deteriorated, she said people would spend two days at gas stations and supermarkets, waiting to buy supplies.
“Sometimes we spent six or more hours without electricity because they do not do maintenance (in my region),” Castellano said.
Two of their children left Venezuela in 2017. Two years later, Castellano, Cordova and their two remaining children left Venezuela for Bogota, Colombia, and then Costa Rica.
“We left Venezuela on January 16, 2019, to visit two of my daughters who had spent two years in Colombia,” Castellano said. “We went to help with the cost of food, which was hard to get because it was expensive and the salaries were not enough.”
But new problems arose in Colombia for Castellano.
“What practically forced me to stay in Colombia was I had some problems with the communal board, and they brought me to the police to take me into custody for not letting them destroy my street and throw dirty water in front of my house,” Castellano said. “There are many outrages suffered by being opponents (to government and authority figures).”
In August 2023, Castellano heard about an opportunity to begin the refugee resettlement process while browsing TikTok. She told her children, and the family began to fill out forms and registrations.
“Catholic Charities found out about me. They called my nephew, who lives here, and from there, they approved me. Thanks to them and their support, we are here,” Castellano said. “Many good things have happened in this last year, despite so much abuse, especially labor, since the wages for immigrants are very low — you could hardly survive. Food is now becoming very complicated, rental and services have doubled costs. My spouse worked 10 hours a day and only earned 55 pesos. There is a lot of xenophobia there.”
After months of screening and preparing and moving from one place to another — sometimes together and sometimes away from their family members — Castellano and Cordova arrived in the United States May 30 with help from Catholic Charities of Arkansas. The couple has been in close contact with their nephew, William Gonzalez, who lives in North Little Rock and has helped them adjust to their new home.
But after several months of waiting, Castellano stands in the airport Aug. 8 alongside Alvarez, resource coordinator Claire Hollenbeck and case manager Ethan Harris as she awaits the arrival of her daughter, Enifer Bearge Tovar Cordero and her son-in-law, Johan Manuel Ramos Marquez.
When asked how she’s feeling, with just minutes standing between her and her arriving family members, Castellano nervously laughs and wipes her eyes again. With Alvarez interpreting, Castellano manages to say, “Happy.”
“I’ve been waiting for this since I left,” Castellano said. “The dream of my daughters was to come over here, and right now, I am completing their dream. They always wanted to come here to have a better future but turns out I got here before they did. So now my dream is for them to come over here. … I’m very emotional to be able to hug her again, because on the phone, it’s not the same. …My two youngest children are in Colombia with three of my grandchildren.
“In Washington, I have the second of my daughters — she arrived a month ago; we have not yet been able to get together until she completes her wait period there. … I haven’t been able to hug her. I haven’t been able to hug my granddaughter … but I’m hoping that I’m able to bring my last remaining children from where they are right now. There’s two with three grandkids still there. That’s another dream of mine. That they all come over. I know with God’s help and Catholic Charities’ help, my dream will come true.”
Castellano said it has taken a long time to get to this point, but her faith has been pivotal.
“When we first applied to come here, there was a possibility that I would come before my children,” Castellano said. “And so I told God, ‘May his will be done.’ And so it did turn out that I got to come here before my children. I think God wanted me to open the way for my children to come here, because my daughter that’s coming here, I’m going to give her a place to stay, and hopefully, when the rest come, I’ll have a house by then to help them out. I always wanted my children to come here before me, but it was God’s will for me to be the first warrior. I have a lot of faith in God and in this process that soon we will all be together. Life teaches us to be brave and warlike, to leave no one behind.”
Castellano said she is also grateful for the United States’ legal resettlement process because she’s heard about the atrocities that often happen to people attempting to enter the United States illegally.
“Men and women are raped,” Castellano said. “A lot of bad things happen, and parents expose their children to it. But coming in the right way really helps the people. (Catholic Charities) keeps the people in mind, and I’ve seen the fruits.”
Refugee resettlement housing coordinator Malleson Emmerling recalls the first time she met Castellano, and the stark importance of the reunification and resettlement work that Catholic Charities does.
“I saw Deisy weep as we sat in the exam room during her newcomer health screening at UAMS,” Emmerling said. “The doctor’s simple question, ‘How many children do you have?’ evoked such pain and sorrow for Deisy. Her family of six had been separated off and on for many years. I remember thinking to myself that I knew where my daughters were and that they were safe in this moment. She did not have that peace because one of her daughters was still in Costa Rica waiting to travel to Arkansas. Her family had traveled from Venezuela to Costa Rica and then to Little Rock oftentimes being separated for years.
“I really had no idea at that point what Deisy had experienced and even though I’m five years older, she seemed to carry the weight of being much older than me. When her daughter’s arrival date was mentioned, her face lit up and tears came to her eyes. She could not hold back her emotions, and she made me realize how important the work of refugee resettlement and reuniting families really is.”
Cases for the Refugee Resettlement Office increased dramatically in 2021 with the resettlement of 108 Afghans. Since January, the office has helped 47 refugees, primarily from Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela and Nicaragua. It expects to serve at least 80 refugees this year.
As her daughter and son-in-law enter into view, Castellano flings her arms open wide and embraces them both. The trio cries and holds one another, exchanging hugs with the Catholic Charities of Arkansas staff.
Castellano hopes the future in Arkansas is much brighter.
“I hope to live peacefully here working to be able to buy a house and other things so that together with my children, we have economic, emotional and social stability,” Castellano said. “In Venezuela, I practically left my house and furniture and belongings behind, and today, I am here starting from scratch.”
For Hollenbeck, watching families reunite after a long journey motivates her to continue her difficult work.
“I regularly tell people that the airport pick-up is the best part of my job,” Hollenbeck said. “I often look to the verse Matthew 25:35 — ‘I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.’ In refugee resettlement, we are truly answering the call of the gospel.”
Housing needed for refugees
Refugees and families often need a place to live when arriving in the United States. Catholic Charities of Arkansas is looking for new housing options and landlords in central Arkansas willing to coordinate housing for refugees. For more information, email housing coordinator Malleson Emmerling at memmerling@dolr.org.
