Octavio, his U.S. citizen wife, and his family were robbed and assaulted at gunpoint. He cooperated with the police and later testified against his attackers at trial, resulting in their convictions. Unfortunately, when Octavio was headed to the hospital to seek treatment for his family, he was stopped and arrested for driving without a license. He was then transferred to …
Elena
Elena was 15 years old when she married her husband who was physically, sexually and emotionally abusive to her. After over a year of extreme suffering, she was finally able to escape his control. Elena reported her husband to the police in Guatemala and was granted several orders of protection, however her husband violated the orders and continued to abuse …
Lionel – Unaccompanied Minor Asylum/Trafficking Success
“Lionel” was raised in Guatemala by his grandmother until age 12, when he was forced to live with his father who forced him to stop attending school and work full-time on a construction site. Lionel, a small and slender child, was forced to do things like strap heavy construction materials to his back and carry them up several flights of …
Tommy
“Tommy” lost his mother at a young age and Tommy’s father never provided him regular care or supervision. Tommy’s father left him after his mother passed away and the child was left in the care of his grandmother. Tommy was terrified that gangs were going to kill him as they had killed his boss for refusing to pay a “war …
Alfredo
After years of physical abuse by his father, Alfredo fled Guatemala to save his life at age 14. He was detained by Immigration agents on arrival in 2001 and diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among other special needs. He only spoke a rare Mayan dialect, limiting his ability to communicate. Alfredo was transferred among detention facilities 10 times, at …
Luis
Luis, 32, was born in the Dominican Republic, but lived in the United States as a permanent resident for nearly three decades. Growing up, he had an abusive stepfather, and he had trouble with the law. After a second suicide attempt at age 23, he was finally diagnosed with schizophrenia. Afterward, he made remarkable progress through holistic counseling, psychiatric care, …
Ana
“Ana” is an indigenous Mayan woman who at age 19 was recruited by a woman in her village who promised her a good job in the United States. When Ana arrived here, she was taken to rural Miami-Dade County where she began to work at a plant nursery run by Juan. After a few weeks, Juan began to charge Ana …
Alfonso
Five year old Alfonso was found screaming, alone in his apartment after his mother had been deported. His father was incarcerated and with no other family that could be located, he was placed in foster care in Miami Dade County. His foster mother, Tamara, decided to legally adopt him. Because Alfonso had been found alone, and was so young, he …
Fega
Seven-year-old Fega arrived at a New York airport in May 2000. A terrible rash covered her body, along with other signs of neglect. No one came to pick her up. Her mother, undocumented and scared, sent a note to immigration officials asking them to send Fega back to Nigeria. But her father in Nigeria said he did not want her …
Marlene
Marlene was detained by ICE for 11 months and was deported even after AI Justice took her case to the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. She spent three long years in Trinidad separated from her family. Ultimately AI Justice won her case in 2005, fought to get her back to the United States, and then successfully challenged an appeal …