The IRC Welcomes Immigrants from Central America

Recently we have experienced a sharp increase in newly arrived immigrants from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.  Our clients’  journeys are driven by unbearable living conditions including destabilizing political upheaval, regular occurrences of violent crime all around them, and complete lack of economic opportunity. Sadly, they have had to leave their homelands behind with the sliver of a hope that they can find relief in the U.S.  In the last four years alone, over one million immigrants have sought safety at the US-Mexico border. 

Unfortunately, many of those coming from this region find difficulty in finding status or being granted asylum. One of our clients, Brayan*, made the long trek from Guatemala as a child, arriving in the US in 2020. He was processed at a center for unaccompanied minors in Texas and was ultimately reunited with an uncle in California. After this, his asylum case stretched on for years, being rescheduled 7 times and ultimately, he was denied. But for Brayan and many other asylum seekers, he was not issued a deportation order, which means he now lives in the limbo of being in the US without status, while also being unable to return to the dangerous conditions in his home country. Days after the birth of Brayan’s US citizen daughter in February,  he came to us in hopes of finding some way to never be separated from his daughter, hopefully through a pathway to citizenship. But according to current immigration law, this will take years, if not decades. In the meantime, we are doing all we can to identify helpful resources for Brayan and his baby girl as they seek safety, wholeness and freedom. It is an honor to be on this journey with him.

Check out this article for a more in depth look at this crisis, specifically in Honduras.

*Brayan's name has been changed to protect his privacy

Submitted by Brianna Greer, DOJ Accredited Representative, IRC