Meet Cora

Cora is from East Africa, and she is seeking asylum in the US. She was persecuted by her government because of her political opinion and associations. From the time she was a child, her parents supported a political party opposed to the ruling political party that's been in power for the past 50 years in her home country. Both of her parents died from injuries they sustained as a result of protesting against the ruling party. Cora always opposed the ruling party because she and her family support democracy and government change.

Because Cora had shown support of an opposition party and because of her family's history of supporting the opposition, Cora was taken from her home by government soldiers and detained with eight other women. For two weeks, Cora was beaten every day with the butt of a gun, and the soldiers detaining her told her that the beatings were only warnings; the next time she'd face death. She feared for her life but was let go. She was driven to a field and left there unconscious. She woke up in a hospital, where a stranger had apparently taken her after finding her in the field.

Some months after this, Conra and her daughter were visiting Cora's cousin in Staten Island when her niece called her from her home country to tell her that government soldiers had broken into her house looking for her. At that moment, Cora knew that if she returned home, she faced torture, harm, or death at the hands of her government, so she decided to seek asylum here in the United States. Cora's other daughter then traveled to the US from France, where she was studying, to be with her mother and sister. We're honored to walk with Cora and her daughters on their journey and advocate for their safe and secure future in the US.