Mariana's Story

Mariana* is a student at a local Northern Virginia high school. About a year ago, she fled by herself from her home country when she was only 17-years-old. When we first met Mariana, she was quiet and hesitant to share her story with us.  Over the course of several meetings, we worked to build trust with Mariana. And over time, she began to open up and told us why she left her country.  

Mariana was being recruited by a violent gang, but she was determined to resist them.  Around this time, one of her friends from church was being recruited by the same gang. Her friend, who was 14-years-old at the time, refused to join and was killed.  Her murder was reported to the police. In response, the police came and patrolled Mariana’s neighborhood for a few days, but then they left. Shortly after, two young girls, who were acquaintances of Mariana’s, were killed.  The girls’ bodies were left at Mariana’s front door. Gang members told Mariana that the same thing would happen to her if she kept refusing them.

Trapped and afraid for her life, Mariana left the country.  After she fled, those same gang members came to her house looking for her.  When her Dad told them that she wasn’t there, they beat him severely.  

Though Mariana feels safe in the United States, she is afraid for her family and especially for her 14-year-old brother.  Despite all she has been through, she is flourishing in school and well on her way to learning English. RILA is representing Mariana in court and will file her application for asylum by the end of this year.

*Name has been changed to protect our client’s privacy.