Jasmine*, a Cameroonian immigrant, arrived at Ayuda shortly after fleeing her abusive husband in Texas. With her four-year-old in tow, and another baby on the way, she was determined to find employment and build a safe home for herself and her family. It was an...
Emmanuel* first entered the U.S. over a decade ago with one simple mission: to donate a kidney to his brother. He departed his home country of Liberia with a B-2 Visa in hand for medical treatment purposes. The donation was a success, but his ongoing medical...
Rosa*, an immigrant from El Salvador, was happily living with her partner when she found out she was pregnant. Unfortunately, the news brought a sinister side out of the father-to-be, Julio*. His temper became short, eventually escalating to verbal and physical abuse...
Elias* was 16 when he arrived in the U.S. from Guatemala as an unaccompanied minor. He’d taken the risky journey hoping to reconnect with his mother stateside, whom he hadn’t seen since birth. Upon arriving in the D.C. area, Elias connected with Ayuda for a helping...
Everyone has their own reason for immigrating. When former Ayuda client Selena* fled her home country in Central America after surviving domestic violence, her reason for coming to the United States was simple: Safety – for herself and her children. Shortly...
Arnold & Porter Senior Associate Chris Moulder, PhD, successfully shepherded a Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA) self-petition to the finish line in 2022. This is Awa’s story. After immigrating to the U.S. from Senegal, Awa* experienced domestic abuse at the...
