Editor’s note: For more than a year now, the African Leadership Group has been working to assist the large number of migrants that have arrived in the Denver area over that period of time. We will be featuring individual migrant’s stories every month, in the belief that it is important that the community understand who these hardworking people are. This is especially crucial in light of the hateful rhetoric about migrants being spouted by some national political figures.
Katiana Orelien had never been outside her native Haiti until she boarded a plane in the fall of 2023 and flew to Managua, Nicaragua. It was but the first step in a long journey that landed her in the Denver area last February.
Katiana, who is 33, left the province of Artibonite because she feared the growing influence of criminal gangs. When the father of her three-year old son was kidnapped and tortured by a gang, she decided life in Haiti was no longer safe for her. She left her son with her mother and sister and started her journey.
After a short stay in Nicaragua, Katiana journeyed to neighboring Honduras by Uber. She then took a bus to Guatemala City, and from there another Uber to the town of Tapachulas on the Mexican side of the Mexico-Guatemala border.
She took a bus to Mexico City and spent three months there trying, successfully, to get a visa to enter the U.S. She flew to Denver and has been working to settle in here ever since.
“I have family in New Jersey, but I have a friend here, and I was advised that there is more work here,” Katiana said. “Also, I am an independent person and felt more comfortable staying with a friend.”
Katiana worked for a time for a food services company, but developed a neurological condition called Bell’s Palsy, which she said was caused by the stress of her displacement from Haiti and the hardships of the journey. She had to leave her job, and is currently seeking employment.
She was connected to ALG by a friend who knew ALG was offering English classes. Katiana has been attending the classes regularly, twice a week, and said she is gaining confidence in her English.
“I also appreciate having been connected to the ALG community,” she said. “Everyone is very supportive.”
