September 24, 2021

The following story was shared by IILA Managing Attorney Edita Ghushchyan. Photo and story shared with client’s permission. Names have been changed to protect the client’s identity.

(Photo: L to R, IILA Managing Attorney Edita Ghushchyan, Martin, IILA Immigration Caseworker Daniel Flores, Matías.)

I am pleased to share that IILA’s Immigration Legal Services Division (ILSD) has won an asylum case for our client on September 23, 2021 before the Immigration Court.

The Immigration Court judge granted asylum to our client Matías and his minor son, who are of Mayan ethnicity and Guatemalan nationality. Our team put together substantial country conditions evidence and presented our client’s testimony to argue that as a person of Mayan ethnicity who speaks only his native language, Matías has been and will continue to be subjected to severe economic, psychological, and physical persecution due to the systemic failure and refusal of the Guatemalan government to protect similarly-situated individuals. The Immigration Judge acknowledged that he had never granted a case like this.

Our client’s uncle Martin provided invaluable translation services on behalf of Matías and supported him along every step of the process.

It is our sincerest hope that, in the United States, our client will be able to exercise his unalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Learn more about IILA’s Immigration Legal Services Division (ILSD) here.

If you are in need of legal assistance, please call 323.264.6217 for a free consultation.