Asylum Seeker need Legal Counsel

Through my time at the border and work with Al Otro Lado, I met a young man who is in desperate need.  We are seeking donations for his legal counsel! Rafael is a 26 year-old anti-capitalist activist who was forced to flee his country after the right wing opposition made an attempt on his life. He traveled to the border with a caravan of other migrants seeking safety and asylum. After being forcibly evicted from the Benito Juarez sports complex, and later a warehouse shelter he was pepper sprayed by police and taken into custody at the border. He was transferred into detention in Mississippi and is now being detained in Houston where he has been held for nearly two months. His court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday March 5th in a state with some of the harshest anti-immigrant laws in the nation. A judge has told him he needs a lawyer and donations will be used to hire an attorney to represent him. I have reached out to the organization in Houston that handles all requests for pro bono representation and have unfortunately not heard back which may be due to how over-burdened the system currently is. He has a family member in the United States who will be his sponsor if he is released on bond. Any funds that are raised that are in excess of what is needed for this court appearance will be used for any future legal representation. We appreciate any support you can provide whether it be through monetary donations or simply sharing the link for others to donate!