YUTAN, Neb (KMTV) — A Nebraska man is traveling to Minneapolis to volunteer with a church group delivering food to families who are afraid to leave their homes following recent federal immigration enforcement actions.
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Paul Feilmann, a retired child mental health therapist from Yutan, said he was moved by reports from the Twin Cities and wanted to help.
"They're terrorized. There really is no other word for it. They're fearful of being separated, sent out of the country, sent to Texas — whether you're a citizen or not," he said.
Feilmann will work with Dios Habla Hoy, a church that has organized food deliveries to families reluctant to venture outside their homes.
"They must have a system worked out where people feel secure getting the food from people who are delivering it," Feilmann said.
Drawing from recent experience as a package delivery driver, Feilmann has prepared for Minnesota's cold weather with below-zero winter boots and hand warmers.
His motivation to help stems partly from his family history. Feilmann's father fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, an experience that shaped his advocacy for immigrants.
"When they started doing these raids where they go into communities and detain people just because of the color of their skin," Feilmann said, explaining what prompted his decision to volunteer.
Raised Lutheran, Feilmann now draws inspiration from Catholic Church immigration reform principles: "The pope right now...he's very clear about this immigration stuff."
Feilmann begins training Tuesday and plans to volunteer for most of the week. He said he will continue advocating for immigrants when he returns to Nebraska.
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