Ta Paw's Story

Ta Paw and his daughter, Hay Blu Moo

While almost all of the Karen we meet are amazingly kind, Ta Paw and his family exemplify the resiliency and determination that inspire us to continue trying to help. In late 2008, Ta Paw was waiting at the bus stop on the corner of the street where he and his family lives. He was waiting to take a series of buses that would eventually end up at a factory in Dallas where he was scheduled to interview for a job. While he was waiting, a group of teenage boys came up from behind him, beat him, and robbed him. They stole his wallet, which contained his I-94 card (similar to a passport for refugees), his ID card, and his Social Security card. In talking with a bruised and battered Ta Paw a few days later, it became clear that his attackers had taken much more than the few dollars that were in his wallet. Ta Paw had experienced a number of challenges since arriving in the U.S., but for the first time since leaving the violence of his homeland, he came face to face with physical violence just around the corner from his new home. He was devastated. And it seems that sometimes when it rains it pours. Attempting to get a replacement Social Security card OR a new ID OR a replacement I-94 proved to be nearly impossible, because in order to get a new Social Security Card, he would need to show ID, but in order to get a new ID, he needed to show his I-94. It was a compounding nightmare that literally lasted 9.5 months by the time we got all three documents back, during which time he was not permitted to work because he did not have proper documentation.

When he finally received his new I-94 card in the mail, he called us elated. The next day he went to apply for a job, and returned home devastated once again. There had been a typographical error made on his I-94 card, and his birthdate had been inverted. Instead of 3-12-61, the card read 12-3-61. Because the dates on his I-94 and ID didn't match, the employer would not hire him. We immediately applied for a new I-94, and were told that we could expect another 6 month wait for the application to be processed, despite the fact that the error was made by their office and not Ta Paw. Finally, last month Ta Paw received his corrected I-94 card. He spent 2 days applying for jobs in Dallas and when he was not hired, he drove to Kansas City because he heard from his brother-in-law that a meat packing company there was hiring. He's been in Kansas City for a month, staying in an apartment with 7 other Karen men and sending all of his earnings to his family in Dallas. He says his plan is to continue to work in Kansas City until October, then return to Dallas and try again to find work here.

Our families at Christmas this year

Ta Paw's wife, Aye Aye, holding their daughter and Kai, with her father, Pu Pu, looking on.