News
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...
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...