Benny Blanco and Calvin Harris released a new version of their house-pop single “I Found You” with vocals from Miguel on Friday. The new rendition of the song, which is more subdued than the original, soundtracks a video about a Guatemalan woman named Nilda, an immigrant feeling violence who is forced to wait for asylum in the U.S.
The style of Blanco’s latest clip is very similar to that of “Eastside,” his breakout hit as a solo artist: A string of simple shots with basic explanatory captions. Except this time, the captions tell the story of Nilda, who fled Guatemala with her son Keyden after enduring sexual assault, beatings and threats from violent gangs. The pair made the grueling trek to the U.S. but were arrested and subsequently separated when they attempted to cross the border. They were eventually reunited, but they still don’t know if they will be allowed to stay in the country.
Blanco teamed up with Brooklyn Defenders, Raices (an immigration legal services provider in Texas) and the ACLU on the While They Wait campaign, which aims to raise money and garner signatures to help immigrants in the same situation as Nilda. More than 300,000 immigrants are waiting to be granted asylum.
Blanco explained his initiative in a post on Instagram. “Most of us get to do a few simple things everyday … wake up in our bed … know where our family is … know that it’s possible to call them, see them, or even touch them … not have to wear an anklet around their foot for 2 years as they await asylum … and not b petrified to b sent back to a country where u know ur life is in constant dange” he wrote. “Nilda and Keyden don’t have those luxuries … they are human beings… they deserve a good life… just like u and I.”