A Mother’s Determination: Shahenaz’s Story
Click below to watch Shahenaz tell her story
Success Stories
Teresa’s Courageous Journey to a Work Permit and Independence
Content Warning: This story contains descriptions of physical abuse and sexual assault. Teresa came to the US from Peru in 2000 with her 8-year-old son. A few years later she met Marco at the local mechanic shop in Arlington. They eventually exchanged numbers and began to date, but Marco was very jealous. Earlier on, he …
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Discovery of Unbeknownst Citizenship
Meena came to us because his wallet had been stolen, and his Green Card was in it. He needed our help in filing for a replacement Green Card. This case was slow going at first because we needed Meena’s help in gathering documents to apply for a fee waiver, since he did not have money …
Preventing Deportation for Young Immigrants
“I’m no longer a child and cannot be dependent on my parents. My father, our main supporter of our family, is chronically ill with kidney failure, which requires a lot of expenses. I plan to go to college this upcoming year and need to have a way to provide for myself away from home. It …
Recovery from Political Persecution
Joseph was only three years old when he heard loud noises outside of his house in Somalia. His home had been bombed, and the rest of his family had fled for their lives. When relatives came back for Joseph, he was severely injured and almost deaf. His parents were nowhere to be found, and Joseph’s …
Freedom from Religious Persecution
Solomon had not seen his wife Sarah and their three children in two years, but the children had far from forgotten him. Five-year-old Mariam called to tell him that she was learning to write her name, and she sent him drawings by mail. Twelve-year-old Meena reminded his father of the promise to buy him a …
Surviving Violent Crime and Obtaining the Right to Work
Beatriz came to the U.S. from Guatemala in early 2007. She worked hard to support herself at a local restaurant in northern Virginia. While there, she met Jose, a frequent patron of the restaurant. They dated briefly. During that time, Jose went to the restaurant where Beatriz worked every night to keep an eye on …
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From Liberian Refugee to United States Citizen
In late 2009, Helen was struggling to get on her feet. As a refugee from her home country, Liberia, she and her family had recently suffered extreme hardship in refugee camps in a second country. She felt blessed to have been relocated to a third country: the United States. Only about 1 percent of refugees …
Escape from Domestic Violence
Viola is from Honduras. She moved out of her family home at the age of 13 to escape being sexually abused by a family member. When she was 16, she married a police officer who was very well connected with the local government in their hometown. Viola’s husband was incredibly abusive and beat her regularly. …
A Mother’s Strength
Marisol came to the United States from Guatemala in 1997. Back then, there was a rise in poverty and crime in her village. She saw neighbors who were mugged in the street. Teachers were often assaulted just for having stable jobs, and, as a teacher, she feared for her life. She chose to leave Guatemala, …