Many deportees from the United States, with no money and no family in Jamaica, end up homeless. – File

IMAGINE BEING ripped from your family, and the only life you have known since 15 years old, to be placed among strangers with no place to lay your head.

This is the reality of Marlene Brown, who was deported from the United States to Jamaica in December 2005 after a 1991 conviction.

She said: "It is never easy to go into your personal story, especially when there is a stigma attached to it. And you are still going through the crisis of that experience." Hence, she was not even willing to reveal the nature of the charges that led to her spending time behind bars in the US.

In tears, Brown stated that on arriving in Jamaica, she was homless and faced numerous problems.

"I became jobless, homeless and faced problems so overwhelming they would make a sane person go mad," she said.

Yet, she would not talk about those challenges either.

Brown, who has two sons, one in the United States Armed Forces, and the other attending Albany University, said that though difficult, she had been able to juggle her responsibilities as a mother and wife despite separation from her family.

She revealed to The Sunday Gleaner that her family, at times, visits, and she had been able to stay connected through telephone calls.

Crying, Brown revealed that the most memorable accomplishments as a family before returning to Jamaica were the Eagle Scout awards received by her sons and her Wood Badge ceremony from the Boys' Scouts of America.

bettering herself

The mother, who still resides with friends, revealed that she enrolled with the HEART Trust/NTA education programme to better herself.

She said after her training with HEART, she registered with the United Theology College where she pursued a diploma in counselling.

While expressing the hope of returning to the US, the trained HIV counsellor said, "I am using my limited resources to accomplish my goals and to contribute positively to the enhancement of the Jamaican society."

In 2007, in a bid to put her life on track and remain strong for her family, Brown volunteered at the Family Unification and Resettlement Initiative (FURI).

She said the three-year-old organisation provided a place for its members, who were mostly deportees, to congregate, deliberate and communicate.

She revealed that through FURI, she had been able to live above the stigma that comes with being a deportee and aim high for success.