SOLEDAD, a documentary film
Donation protected
Award-winning filmmaker Lisa Molomot and writer/teacher/lawyer Shefali Desai are teaming up to make a short film telling the story of a young woman from Central America who was imprisoned in the Eloy Detention Facility when she sought asylum in the United States in 2017. Soledad set out on a perilous journey from her homeland after enduring horrific persecution where she was kidnapped, sex-trafficked, tortured and nearly killed. Desai, who took the case pro bono from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law’s Immigration Clinic, mobilized a dream team of professional women, all of whom agreed to work for free on the case. Together, they secured Soledad's release from Eloy and ultimately prevailed on her asylum claim.
Recent changes to our country's asylum laws–including refusals to release asylum seekers from incarceration, stripping immigration judges of independent decision-making, and failure to review each case on its own unique merits–are drastically reducing the chances that women like Soledad will be granted asylum in the U.S. The result is that many women are being sent back to their countries where they face death sentences. This timely story highlights the challenges of the U.S. asylum system and the importance of legal representation to this highly vulnerable population.
Soledad currently resides in another state. Lisa, Shefali and Rosie Ibarra Lopez, an undergraduate law student who was instrumental in the case as a linguistic and cultural interpreter, plan to travel there in November 2018 to film Soledad's story. Additional filming of the team who made Soledad's freedom possible will take place in Tucson. The film will be edited and released in winter of 2019.
Be a part of this important human rights project by donating for the travel required to film Soledad's story. Those donating $500 or more will receive an executive producer credit; everyone else will be listed in the end credits. We are enormously grateful for your support!
Recent changes to our country's asylum laws–including refusals to release asylum seekers from incarceration, stripping immigration judges of independent decision-making, and failure to review each case on its own unique merits–are drastically reducing the chances that women like Soledad will be granted asylum in the U.S. The result is that many women are being sent back to their countries where they face death sentences. This timely story highlights the challenges of the U.S. asylum system and the importance of legal representation to this highly vulnerable population.
Soledad currently resides in another state. Lisa, Shefali and Rosie Ibarra Lopez, an undergraduate law student who was instrumental in the case as a linguistic and cultural interpreter, plan to travel there in November 2018 to film Soledad's story. Additional filming of the team who made Soledad's freedom possible will take place in Tucson. The film will be edited and released in winter of 2019.
Be a part of this important human rights project by donating for the travel required to film Soledad's story. Those donating $500 or more will receive an executive producer credit; everyone else will be listed in the end credits. We are enormously grateful for your support!
Fundraising team (2)
Lisa Molomot
Organizer
Tucson, AZ
Shefali Desai
Team member
