Daniela, Eliza and Keri

When Daniela* was 14, gang members in her home country threatened to kill her, her mother, Eliza*, and her sister, Keri* if their family didn’t pay a tax to the gang. Each time they came, they brandished their guns, and Eliza knew the threats were real. In 2019, Eliza moved their family to the United States seeking safety and a place for her girls to grow up without fearing for their lives. 

RILA helped Eliza and her daughters apply for asylum and Special Immigration Juvenile Status. Following a traumatic event that occurred in the United States, RILA assisted Daniela in applying for a U Visa and also connected her with a therapist to give her the support she needed to heal.

Daniela, in the tenth grade, loves to study biology and computer science. She likes to sing worship music, especially in Spanish. She’d like to go to college and become a police officer to investigate, solve problems, and help people. She says, “Many times, the police are the first ones there when people need help and are vulnerable. I want to help people when they need it.”

Keri, a twelfth-grade student taking almost all International Baccalaureate classes, would like to become a math teacher. She plays the piano, sings worship music with Daniela, and loves to paint. She and Daniela adore their mother: “Mom is always encouraging my sister and me to follow our dreams, and she reminds us that we are in this country to do something and be somebody, to study and work hard.” 

Eliza says she’s thankful for RILA’s support and especially thankful for her work permit since it gives her “the opportunity to work and provide for [her] daughters and to support them in their school and their goals.”

*Names have been changed.