Andrea & Luis

Andrea and Luis* lived in South America with their two young children. Andrea worked as a professor and had been politically active for several years.  Known in her community as an outspoken activist, she was a part of a political campus group that opposed the corrupt and oppressive dictatorship in her country.  Luis, a government employee, witnessed his colleagues taking bribes and engaging in other corrupt behavior. Deeply disturbed by this, he reported them to the police.

Andrea and Luis knew they were putting their lives at risk, but they felt that they had to speak out against the corruption and oppression in their country.

It wasn’t long before Andrea and Luis began receiving anonymous calls threatening to harm them and their children.  Andrea was attacked in her car and told that she was being punished for opposing the government. After that, Luis was kidnapped for a day, severely beaten and left on the side of the road on the outskirts of town.

Terrified, Andrea, Luis and their children moved to another town immediately.  But just a few days later, government agents found them and fired guns into their new temporary home.  They realized they could not hide and that their lives and their children’s lives were in danger. Luis left the country the next day, and Andrea and their children fled to another town.  Due to complicating factors, Andrea and the children could not flee the country until about six months after Luis left. 

When RILA met Andrea and Luis, they had no income or resources, having left everything behind.  While they were eligible for asylum, they could not apply on their own because of the language barrier and the complex application process.

RILA helped the family apply for asylum, and their final hearing is pending.  RILA also helped Andrea and Luis apply for and receive work permits, so they can work while they wait for their case to be processed.  RILA will be there to represent Andrea and Luis in immigration court as we continue to pursue protection and justice for their family.

*Names have been changed to protect our clients’ privacy.