Finally reunited, Alvarado family having a Christmas to remember

PHILADELPHIA -- This is the Christmas that José Alvarado dreamed of.

He is standing in his kitchen inside the Miami home he purchased for his family. His mother, Crelia Lizarzabal, is next to him. They are wrapping the fillings of the Venezuelan delicacy hallacas with plantain leaves. The hallacas will be on the dinner table on Christmas Day, alongside the pan de jamón, ensalada de gallina and ponche crema.

Everything will be amazing.

“This Christmas is going to be very special,” Alvarado told MLB.com on Friday. “It’s a Christmas that I’ve missed, but it’s the Christmas I’m going to get. It’s just going to be a beautiful day for my family now that we’re all together.”

Alvarado’s mother, sister Mariu, son Dylan and daughter Victoria arrived in the United States from Venezuela on Dec. 9. (Alvarado’s father, brother and third child already live in the U.S.) It marked a joyous conclusion to a long and often frustrating journey.

His family had tried unsuccessfully for more than two years to secure visas to come to the U.S. But through the efforts of numerous people, Alvarado and his family boarded a plane in Valencia, Venezuela, a couple weeks ago and flew to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before flying into Miami.

Alvarado does not like to fly. Turbulence terrifies him. He tensed up as the plane jostled as it approached Miami. But as he looked out the window and saw land ahead, Alvarado got emotional. Tears filled his eyes.

Alvarado turned to Mariu, who sat next to him.

“Now the good times are coming,” he said.

***

Phillies fans know Alvarado as one of the team’s best relievers and most gregarious personalities. He exudes a fiery confidence that matches his 6-foot-2, 245-pound frame. He fist pumps and gesticulates so aggressively following big strikeouts that he jokes he wakes up sore the next morning. Alvarado smiles big. He loves to laugh and joke. But he will also sit quietly in front of his locker at Citizens Bank Park, making beaded necklaces for teammates and their children.

Alvarado revealed another side to himself, however, before Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Marlins in early October, when he first mentioned his family’s plight.

“It’s so hard, man,” he said. “Last night after [Game 1], I go home and my mom called me [from Venezuela]. She was talking a lot and crying because last year she missed the World Series. This year, I tried to bring my mom to the United States, and the United States wouldn’t give her a visa. It’s so hard for me.”

Alvarado hadn’t seen his mother since the end of the 2021 season because of the strained diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Venezuela. The U.S. embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, closed in ‘19. The Venezuelan embassy in Washington closed last January.

Venezuela’s political and economic situation is so dire that the U.S. State Department issued a “Level 4: Do No Travel” advisory.

“Do not travel to Venezuela due to?crime, civil unrest, kidnapping,?and the?arbitrary enforcement of local laws,” it states. “Reconsider travel due to?wrongful detentions,?terrorism,?and?poor health infrastructure.”

It has made travel from Venezuela incredibly difficult.

Alvarado had been working closely with OL Baseball Group -- which includes his agent, Félix Olivo; the Phillies’ immigration lawyer; Alvarado’s personal lawyer and numerous others with the team to help his family come to the U.S. At different points over the past couple years, his family tried securing visas in Colombia and Brazil, but those efforts failed.

So Alvarado spoke up during his pregame press conference in October. He didn’t plan to talk about it. It just happened.

And people listened, including folks from Pennsylvania senator Bob Casey’s office. They contacted the Phillies, offering their assistance.

Alvarado happily accepted the help.

“Oftentimes, a push from a member of Congress can really help shake things loose in these cases,” said Mairéad Lynn, who is Casey’s communications director.

Casey’s office made a congressional inquiry on Alvarado’s behalf.

Lindsay Martin is Casey’s director of constituent services. She works with Pennsylvanians who have issues with everything from social security checks to passports to Medicare to Medicaid to visas and more.

“We can’t guarantee a particular outcome,” Martin said. “But we can reach out to show a senator’s interest in a matter to try to get status updates, to pass along information, to seek clarifications on questions that folks are having and try to cut through some of that bureaucracy and red tape that people often find themselves in with these federal agencies.

“You don’t need to be famous or a professional athlete to reach out to our office. We’re here to try to help Pennsylvanians. That’s our bread and butter. … But this just goes to show that even professional athletes have these problems navigating federal agencies and navigating the system and running into these issues with the applications getting stuck in the system -- and in his case, going beyond normal processing time. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the people that we work with, you don’t hear about their stories. But these are the things that we’re constantly trying to help with. This just happens to be somebody with a little bit more famous stature than the people we normally work with in Pennsylvania.”

Alvarado said once Casey’s office got involved, the dynamic changed. Things started to move.

His family applied to a program known as Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. It allows people from those countries who have a sponsor, like Alvarado, and who pass background checks to come to the U.S. for two years to live and work, using what is known as humanitarian parole.

“It leads to hopefully getting a green card at some point,” said Ray Robles, the Phillies’ director of international operations.

Alvarado’s family eventually cleared their humanitarian paroles. They were headed to the U.S.

“I have no words,” Alvarado said. “We’re extremely grateful.”

***

Alvarado remembers watching his teammates celebrate with their families on the field as they advanced each round before reaching the 2022 World Series.

He felt alone during those times because he had nobody with him. Alvarado did not want to feel that way again, so this year he flew his brother Dario and his cousin, who made his way to the U.S. through the dangerous Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama, to Philly for the NL Wild Card Series and NLDS.

Alvarado hoped to have his mother, sister and children in the U.S. in time for the World Series.

“What’s most important is having your family with you,” Alvarado said. “I never lost the faith. I knew it was going to happen, but it was a slow process. I just kept trusting the team that was working for me would make this happen.”

The Phillies did not make the World Series, but things continued to move in the right direction. Alvarado flew to Venezuela around Thanksgiving. He helped his family complete the final pieces of documentation needed.

They got approved.

“It was spectacular,” Lizarzabal said through an interpreter. “That hug, that reunion, coming here together. It was a dream come true. It was a dream I’ve had for a while because we hadn’t seen each other for a long time. I wished to be with my son. I’m so happy for the support. I’m so happy this came true. I can’t wait to see my son play again and keep having success. To see it again, it’s going to be very special.”

But first it is time to celebrate Christmas in a house finally filled with family. It is time to eat.

“There is nothing like your mom’s cooking,” Alvarado said.