APRIL 14 • 2022 | 55
Then, at 16 years old, sup-
posed “friends” of their family
(the traffickers) promised my
mother’s parents that my mom
would get an education and
earn enough money to send
back home if she went with
them to the U.S. to be their
housekeeper and take care of
their elderly mother.
I asked my mom if she was
excited to leave the Philippines.
“
At first, yes, I was happy,
” she
replied. “Then when you real-
ize as a 16-year-old that you’re
leaving the country … leaving
the people who you love, your
mom and dad, your siblings …
as a young kid, I was scared. I
didn’t want to go, but I didn’t
have any choice.
”
My mom says the traf-
fickers handled all her travel
paperwork, and they left the
Philippines on Christmas Day
1982. She arrived in Michigan
just in time to see her first
snowfall.
THE HORROR BEGINS
My mom’s first night in the
States quickly took a turn for
the worst. The Filipino traf-
fickers kept my mom’s passport
from her and kept her in their
Metro Detroit home as an
involuntary servant. She says
she was overworked and lived
in inhumane conditions, and all
the promises they made were
never fulfilled.
“When I got to the house,
they did not put me in a bed-
room. I had to find places in
their home where I could sleep.
No bed. No nothing. I slept
with the dogs. Literally, like a
beanbag.
”
My mom said that first night
in the U.S. she cried herself to
sleep and prayed she would
wake up back home with her
family. But the nightmare just
kept getting worse.
“I woke up in the cold by
myself. [The traffickers] cele-
brated Christmas and then they
left to go and celebrate some
more with their friends … I was
alone,
” she said.
My mom said she did what-
ever was asked of her, which
included manual labor through-
out the home and caring for an
80-year-old woman and a baby.
“Every single day, I would do
some work outside … whether
it be clearing the snow, mowing
the lawn or cleaning rugs by
myself.
”
Neighbors would see her
working hard and knew some-
thing was unusual. They saw a
young woman doing so much
work by herself, knowing that
two big guys lived inside of the
home. While the neighbors
in the predominantly Polish
neighborhood showed a bit of
kindness toward my mother,
it wasn’t easy for her to build
relationships or make friends
because the traffickers wouldn’t
allow her to speak to anyone.
For four years, she endured
constant mistreatment.
Without any money and
knowing little to no English, her
options seemed slim.
One night, my then 19-year-
old mother decided to rely on
her faith and run away.
THE GETAWAY
While she didn’t speak English
very well, she did manage to
befriend a young Polish man
in the neighborhood, whom
we will call “Stan.
” My mom
said she knew Stan had taken
a liking to her and offered to
take her wherever she needed
to go to escape. They planned a
scheme where she would gather
up garbage bags acting as if she
was taking out the trash. One of
the bags was filled with all her
belongings.
They agreed to meet at 1 p.m.
in a nearby alleyway. But as the
time got closer and closer, and
as she began to take out the
trash, the traffickers asked her
to feed the baby.
“It was five minutes to 1
Ben, age 22, outside his
parents’ home
TOP: Remy and Ben
sharing a kiss on
their wedding day.
MIDDLE: Ben
and Remy during
wedding toast.
RIGHT: The Sweet
clan all dressed up
for a family friend’s
wedding ceremony.
Back row left to
right: Remy and Ben;
second row. Isaac,
Amanda, Jeremy;
front, Rachel.
continued on page 56