VTMBH Article: Body
Freddy Sánchez León, 56, hails from Seguro in Guayaquil, Ecuador. For the hundreds of Ecuadorian immigrants who knock at his door, Sánchez is their last hope.
Sánchez, who is the commissioner of la Defensoría del Pueblo (Peoples Defense), an office set up by the Ecuadorian Congress to aid Ecuadorians in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Sánchez, who is based in New York, said that more than one million Ecuadorians currently live in the tri-state area. Of those, the majority are illegal immigrants who have been smuggled into the country by coyotes, or human traffickers. Many complain of the coyotes deceit and faulty practice by coyotes to Sánchez.
Sixty percent of Sánchezs cases come to him from the Ecuadorian Consul, which is unable to handle the steady influx of complaints. Many of the people I see are being persecuted. The new immigrant, desperate to be reunited with his family, is easy prey for a coyote, who charges $4,000 to $8,000 for his services, explained Sánchez. Part of his job is to compile evidence to sue coyotes in court.
At the moment, Sánchez is working on two such cases affecting more than 100 Ecuadorians. His biggest case is against a coyote in Connecticut who led more than 60 Ecuadorians to believe that they would become naturalized when they arrived in the United States. A second case is being brought against Adela Holzer of Spain, for deceiving and smuggling 32 immigrants. Holzer has been in jail for the past year and is awaiting trial. Sánchez is also leading an investigation into an Ecuadorian coyote who helped smuggle 12 of his countrymen.
In addition to problems with coyotes, people also turn to Sánchez for help when they require medical attention but have no health insurance. In these cases, all Sánchez can do is put those in need in contact with a variety of social service organizations.
In New York alone, there are about 384 Ecuadorians imprisoned for various crimes. Of them, 130 are in contact with Sánchez. They call me to ask if I can intercede on their behalf so they can be repatriated as soon as possible, said Sánchez. He also advised Jorge Laso Logroño, who was detained in April for smuggling cocaine. Laso accepted a plea bargain under Sánchezs counsel.
Sánchez maintains that the Peoples Defender office sees to it that the human rights of all Ecuadorians, be they victims or perpetrators of crime, are defended. Currently Sánchezs office is working on the case of Ecuadorian Emiliano Yánez, who has suffered from amnesia since being hit on the head last year.
After twenty years of service to the Ecuadorian community of New York, Sánchez can imagine himself on a beach in Acapulco, visiting the Eiffel Tower, or walking through the hallways of the Prado Museum, though life has not taken him down these paths. Thirty-three years ago, Sánchez came to the United States for a two week vacation. He did not intend to stay, but decided to try his luck and accepted a job fixing bicycles. Sánchez was quickly successful, and decided to stay in New York. He studied English and industrial electricity at a trade school. He later went on to study at Queensboro Community College, and finally received a degree in mechanical engineering from Queens College.
Sánchez then worked at various businesses until establishing Universal Industrial Services, a repair and service shop for industrial machinery, 18 years ago. He also founded several pro-Ecuadorian groups. Just as he was about to retire, Sánchez received a call from Public Defender Claudio Mueckay, who invited him to be the Commissioner of the Public Defender in New York. He accepted.
Sánchez, who is the commissioner of la Defensoría del Pueblo (Peoples Defense), an office set up by the Ecuadorian Congress to aid Ecuadorians in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Sánchez, who is based in New York, said that more than one million Ecuadorians currently live in the tri-state area. Of those, the majority are illegal immigrants who have been smuggled into the country by coyotes, or human traffickers. Many complain of the coyotes deceit and faulty practice by coyotes to Sánchez.
Sixty percent of Sánchezs cases come to him from the Ecuadorian Consul, which is unable to handle the steady influx of complaints. Many of the people I see are being persecuted. The new immigrant, desperate to be reunited with his family, is easy prey for a coyote, who charges $4,000 to $8,000 for his services, explained Sánchez. Part of his job is to compile evidence to sue coyotes in court.
At the moment, Sánchez is working on two such cases affecting more than 100 Ecuadorians. His biggest case is against a coyote in Connecticut who led more than 60 Ecuadorians to believe that they would become naturalized when they arrived in the United States. A second case is being brought against Adela Holzer of Spain, for deceiving and smuggling 32 immigrants. Holzer has been in jail for the past year and is awaiting trial. Sánchez is also leading an investigation into an Ecuadorian coyote who helped smuggle 12 of his countrymen.
In addition to problems with coyotes, people also turn to Sánchez for help when they require medical attention but have no health insurance. In these cases, all Sánchez can do is put those in need in contact with a variety of social service organizations.
In New York alone, there are about 384 Ecuadorians imprisoned for various crimes. Of them, 130 are in contact with Sánchez. They call me to ask if I can intercede on their behalf so they can be repatriated as soon as possible, said Sánchez. He also advised Jorge Laso Logroño, who was detained in April for smuggling cocaine. Laso accepted a plea bargain under Sánchezs counsel.
Sánchez maintains that the Peoples Defender office sees to it that the human rights of all Ecuadorians, be they victims or perpetrators of crime, are defended. Currently Sánchezs office is working on the case of Ecuadorian Emiliano Yánez, who has suffered from amnesia since being hit on the head last year.
After twenty years of service to the Ecuadorian community of New York, Sánchez can imagine himself on a beach in Acapulco, visiting the Eiffel Tower, or walking through the hallways of the Prado Museum, though life has not taken him down these paths. Thirty-three years ago, Sánchez came to the United States for a two week vacation. He did not intend to stay, but decided to try his luck and accepted a job fixing bicycles. Sánchez was quickly successful, and decided to stay in New York. He studied English and industrial electricity at a trade school. He later went on to study at Queensboro Community College, and finally received a degree in mechanical engineering from Queens College.
Sánchez then worked at various businesses until establishing Universal Industrial Services, a repair and service shop for industrial machinery, 18 years ago. He also founded several pro-Ecuadorian groups. Just as he was about to retire, Sánchez received a call from Public Defender Claudio Mueckay, who invited him to be the Commissioner of the Public Defender in New York. He accepted.