News
A 20-Year Journey to Citizenship: Tanya’s Story
Over 10 years after becoming a permanent resident and over 20 years after she escaped her traffickers, Tanya will take the Oath of Allegiance and become a U.S. Citizen.
Ayuda Testimony on “Migrant Services and Supports Act of 2022”
On October 20, 2022, Ayuda Grants Writer Sandra Benavante testified before the Council of District of Columbia’s Committee on Human Services in a public hearing regarding B24-0992, the “Migrant Services and Supports Act of 2022.”
This is Dolores’ Story
Dolores* is a Central American woman who first came to Ayuda’s Domestic Violence and Family Law (DVFL) team in 2018. Her abusive romantic partner of over four years, Arnold, had recently violated her in front of her children, leading her to call the police and file...

Media Contact: Laura [email protected] | 202-552-3508 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2022 Ayuda Supports Migrants Bused to Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C – Since April, Ayuda has been working to help coordinate the humanitarian response as the governors of...
10 Years of DACA: Lives Changed & Dreams Made Possible
Cheili came to Ayuda shortly after the DACA program was announced in June 2012 seeking to enroll with this new program. She had been in the U.S. since she was a small child and has grown up in the U.S. Ayuda was able to represent Cheili in securing her DACA, and we’ve...
A Story of Survival and Perseverance – This is Anahay’s Story
Anahay [1] a mother of two, came to Ayuda seeking legal representation to request custody of her two children as well as child support from their abusive father, Paco. Paco had a history of abusing Anahay physically, emotionally, financially and sexually – even...
Aicha’s story
*Aicha is a forty-year old North African woman who came to Ayuda seeking legal representation for a civil protection order, divorce, and custody of her children from her husband, David. Aicha and David had been married for 15 years and have two children in common....
Ayuda’s history as a national leader in holistic culturally specific services for immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
Leslye Orloff remembers clearly one of her first days at Ayuda. “It was 1985, and I walked into the waiting room. It was full of men,” she said. “The services were mostly focused on immigration options for the male head of households.” Little attention had been paid...
As Senators Renew Push for Immigration Relief via Budget Reconciliation, Hispanic Federation Launches National Legal Aid Coalition En Español Abajo For Immediate Release: September 16, 2021Contact: Carolina Gamero, [email protected], (310) 893-9038 NEW...
Tensay Kelile’s Testimony at The September 9 Asylumist Discussion at Immigrant Food
Dear distinguished guests, TASSC staff and TASSC members. My name is Tensay Kelile. I am a torture survivor from Ethiopia. Today I would like to share my personal story about why I was forced to flee Ethiopia, and how much I have suffered as an Affirmative Asylum...
“The support I received at Ayuda was life changing. This is my story.” – Luis, Ayuda client.
"I came to the United States from my home country of El Salvador 6 years ago, at the age of 14. After some turmoil traveling through Mexico, I arrived at the border. After being processed at the border I was put on a...
Alejandra’s Story
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...
How DASH and West End Plastic Surgery Helped Ayuda Client Claudia
Ayuda is grateful to be a part of a larger network of community partners and supporters that work to hard ensure our clients are able to receive the support they deserve. Claudia, an Ayuda client and survivor of an extremely severe case of domestic violence in which...
Access to CAM Expanded
Washington, D.C. (June 16, 2021) – Ayuda is thrilled to hear about the expansion of the CAM program to include new applicants and new categories of applicants not previously eligible to petition for their children to come to the United States safely and lawfully in...
Giancarla
Meet Giancarla, Ayuda employee and DACA recipient. "My name is Giancarla, I am a DREAMER, and I have been working at Ayuda for the past 2 ½ years. I was born in Bolivia and I came to the US with my family when I was 10 years old. More than 80% of DREAMERS arrived to...
