At the tender age of five years old, Alejandra*’s mother left her children to seek safety in the United States after experiencing severe domestic abuse from her partner. Alejandra stayed with her father, who was a dangerous and abusive man. Her father forced...
Maribel is a 20-year-old woman from Central America. At age 16, she left her country after she found out she was pregnant, both fleeing abuse and to provide a better life for her child. She crossed into the US and was detained by Border Patrol. She had her son while...
Tragically impacted by COVID-19, Jon’s* lost his wife to COVID in June shortly after giving birth to their baby.This loss left him to care for their infant and his wife’s 11-year-old son from a previous relationship, while working 9 hours a day, 6 days a week. A...
Julissa* is a South American woman who came to Ayuda seeking legal representation in obtaining a civil protection order against her husband and father of her child. Julissa and Robert were in a relationship for five years and lived together with their then 4-year old...
by Ayuda Development Intern Covid-19 has taken many lives and destroyed the livelihood of thousands of people. It forced us to live a new normal while keeping up with the regular day-to-day responsibilities. However, as the pandemic draws on, the number of hate crimes...
Dominica,* is a survivor of human trafficking and sexual assault. When Ayuda attorneys first met with Dominica, she was already attending regular check-in appointments with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Fairfax, Virginia, awaiting her...
