A Seattle fourth-grader and his family self-deport to Guatemala

A Seattle elementary school student left for Guatemala late Wednesday night. His family is self-deporting to avoid federal immigration police. Teachers in Seattle are calling on the school district to better protect students like him.

D

iland has never been on an airplane before. And before his very first flight, the 10-year-old is bawling.

It’s early on Wednesday morning at Sea-Tac Airport. Diland, his 3-year-old sister, and his mother, Darlin, are pulling some suitcases. Their gray cat, Luna, peeks out from a carrier.

The family is headed back to Guatemala after losing their asylum case. KUOW is only using their first names because of their legal status.

“Really sad this morning, and I honestly don't know how to describe all the things that we're feeling,” Darlin said through tears and an interpreter.

She says she left Guatemala in 2021 after getting robbed and physically threatened. Darlin and her kids lived in South Seattle where Diland went to Dunlap Elementary.

When the family found out that they’d either have to leave the country or face detention, people at Dunlap rallied in support.

Tillman Giebel, Diland’s fourth-grade teacher, spoke outside of Seattle Public Schools district office in December.

"He's a 10-year-old child of immigrants whose family is currently looking at being torn apart," Giebel said. "This is a traumatic and devastating experience for anyone, especially a child."

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He and a group of other educators and advocates then spoke at a school board meeting, calling on the district to stand up for migrant families and help stop ICE officers from coming on school grounds.

Teachers say that some schools have talked about individual procedures, but they want districtwide guidance.

“As a teacher, I am trying my best to navigate the situation, and I would be lying if I said that this didn't affect me as well,” Giebel said. “It hurts me to think of the effect that this deportation could have on Diland and other students and families.”

At the airport this week, Diland wrote a letter to his Dunlap classmates, friends that he may never see again.

“Thanks for being my best friend,” he read the letter aloud, “and I will never forget that time that you gave me snacks.”

Diland says wants to come back to Seattle some day, and hopefully he says, his old friends will still be here.

The self-deportation was not a quick process, at least for Darlin and her kids. The family ended up waiting the entire day at the airport, often surrounded by a group of airline employees, TSA agents, and airport staff.

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They missed their morning flight waiting for an ICE agent to bring travel documents.

And Darlin had to figure out if she should remove her ankle monitor, something she’s worn for two years. She ended up cutting it off with scissors she borrowed from the ticket desk.

When she does get to Guatemala, Darlin’s troubles are still far from over.

“She's gonna need to get set up with a job, long-term housing, children need to get enrolled in school,” said Raiden Kallberg, with the advocacy group that helped the family plan the trip and get a motel room in Guatemala City.

“There's not, like, people waiting for her there necessarily in Guatemala,” Kallberg said.

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Darlin was able to book a new flight for almost 12 hours later. The kids spent the day sitting on the ground of the airport, sometimes taking Luna the cat out to cuddle.

Darlin said she’s worried to take them to a country she fled out of fear. She made this hard decision after determining that an ICE arrest would traumatize her children.

“I want my children to be OK, to be well, and for things to be good for them,” she said. “I don't want anything bad to happen to my children.”