Against the backdrop of the pandemic, Ayuda pivoted to provide our quality legal, social and language access services to be offered remotely, allowing us to support more than 3,000 immigrants in 2020.
Thank you for your support, and we hope you enjoy our 2020 Impact Report!
News
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...
AB and LEA Vacated
Washington, D.C. (June 16, 2021) – Together with our clients, Ayuda celebrates the Attorney General’s decision today to vacate Matter of A-B and Matter of L-E-A. Matter of A-B- and Matter of L-E-A- were prior Attorney General decisions which dramatically limited...
Ayuda Commends USCIS’s Policy Alert on Work Permits for U Visa Petitioners
Washington, D.C. (June 15, 2021) – Ayuda is pleased that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced new procedures for issuing work permits to individuals with pending, bona fide U Visa applications. U Visas are a form of immigration status, and a...
Ayuda helps a young mother rebuild her life
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...
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
by Ayuda Development Intern April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It is important to give recognition to this issue, as not many can define what sexual assault is. According to Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, sexual assault “refers to sexual contact or...
Ayuda’s Wrap-Around Services Supports Family Severely Impacted by COVID-19
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’s Story: Overcoming Abuse
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...
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are Dying in Silence.
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...
Ayuda Joins I Stand With Immigrants Initiative of FWD.US
Washington, D.C. (February 22, 2021) – Today, Ayuda is thrilled to announce that we have joined the I Stand With Immigrants Initiative, powered by FWD.US, as an official nonprofit partner. The I Stand With Immigrants Initiative leads narrative campaigns that empower...
Ayuda Applauds Biden-Harris Administration’s Actions to Create a Humane Immigration System
Washington, D.C. (January 21, 2021) - Today, Ayuda celebrates the dawn of a new day and the issuance of numerous executive orders, proposed legislation, and policy memoranda in the last 24 hours that will benefit our client communities. First, the discriminatory...
Ayuda Welcomes New Biden-Harris Administration
Ayuda extends a heartfelt congratulations to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as they are officially sworn in as the 46th President and Vice President of the United States. Today is an historic day, as VP Kamala Harris - the first woman, Black...
Dominica’s Story
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...
Tahirih and Ayuda File Lawsuit Challenging Sweeping Regulations That Would End Asylum
For immediate release January 15, 2021 Washington, D.C. (January 15, 2021) - Yesterday, the Tahirih Justice Center and Ayuda filed a lawsuit challenging the outgoing administration’s sweeping regulations that would overturn U.S. asylum law. Finalized in December 2020,...
Ayuda Condemns Final Rule that Seeks to Overturn Asylum in U.S.
Washington, D.C. (December 11, 2020) Ayuda condemns the final rule published in the Federal Register today that seeks to eviscerate asylum protections for bona fide refugees fleeing persecution abroad. The rule, which will go into effect on January 11, will deprive...
2020 Presidential Election Response
Ayuda extends a heartfelt congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their decisive victory. And special congratulations to Vice President-elect Harris for shattering so many glass ceilings and becoming the first female, the...
Judge Suspends Trump’s Rule Imposing Higher Immigration Fees
Judge Says Rule Likely Unlawful Because 'Arbitrary and Capricious,' Wolf Not Validly Serving as Acting DHS Secretary WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia late Thursday night granted a preliminary injunction suspending a...
Important Public Update on TPS
Updated 12/8/2020 TPS status and documents have been automatically extended for individuals with currently valid Temporary Protected Status from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal through Oct 4, 2021,...