Asylum seekers' stories

The US news media continues to be filled with immigration stories concerning asylum seekers from Central America and the impact of Trump's zero tolerance and family separation policies.  Many of those stories feature refugees from El Salvador:

From the New Yorker, An Asylum Seeker’s Journey from El Salvador to Arkansas, and Back Again.  A Salvadoran youth narrates on a video his flight from El Salvador only to be denied asylum under Trump and deported back to an uncertain future in El Salvador.

From the Los Angeles Times, Beaten and raped in El Salvador, a domestic violence survivor finds little hope for asylum in U.S.   Describes the situation of a Salvadoran woman who fled after being beaten and raped by her boyfriend.  She now faces highly uncertain prospects of remaining in the US after Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed prior law to limit situations where domestic abuse victims might receive asylum.

From NBC News, 'Where are you?' Migrant still separated from her children 3 weeks after deadline.   A Salvadoran mother who fled El Salvador after suffering abuse from local police, describes her torment at still being separated from her two sons despite the passing of a court deadline requiring families to be reunited.

From CNN, Salvadoran immigrant mom sues US to be reunited with baby who needs to breastfeed.  Describes a Salvadoran woman who has filed a lawsuit to prevent herself from being deported after her asylum claim was denied.   The government separated her from her 11 month old breast-feeding daughter when she crossed the border and still has not reunited them.

From T74, ‘I Feel Happy to Enter Classes Again’: One Migrant Teen’s Perilous Journey From El Salvador to High School in the U.S. .   The story of a Salvadoran teenager released from immigration detention to start a life in Little Rock, Arkansas.   He talks about hopes for attending school while he waits to hear whether the immigration courts will approve the asylum claim of his father and him.

Not all the stories have bad or uncertain endings.   This video from the International Rescue Committee tells one such tale.






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