Hey generous friends, I'm Dana, a life coach and activist, a long-time resident of the Joshua Tree area, and a friend of Rocio, an asylum seeker from Equatorial Guinea (currently an authoritarian regime with one of the worst human rights records in the world)*, who was living peacefully here in the high desert until she was detained by ICE at her immigration appointment in early July. She's still in detention (as of January 2025), and her health is suffering. We are a determined group of Rocio's neighbors and friends, and we need your help to raise funds for her legal representation and her healthcare when she gets released (again, determined).

At the end of 2025, Rocio's Asylum request was denied. We're working on her appeal process. As we navigate an ever-complexifying bureaucracy clearly designed to keep people in detention, we are raising funds to cover her legal expenses and hope to secure additional funds for when she's released, to help her as she recovers.

BACKGROUND ON ROCIO'S CASE:

Rocio has lived peacefully in Yucca Valley, CA, since the beginning of the year, where her sponsor and a strong community support her. She has no criminal record, is not a flight risk, and has complied with all her legal requirements.

She is being held in a detention facility in Arizona—human rights groups have called it the "deadliest immigration detention center in the U.S."—and her health is deteriorating. She has fallen twice in detention (circumstances unknown) and now requires knee surgery. The healthcare providers at the detention center said she would lose use of her leg if she didn't get surgery soon. Keeping her detained under these conditions is dangerous for her. After surgery, she faces being returned to the same unsafe environment, risking reinjury and denying her the proper recovery she urgently needs. *Update Jan '26* she's still waiting for a date for her knee surgery and will possibly be scheduled for another surgery for another issue that's occurred in detention.

ABOUT ROCIO'S JOURNEY:

Rocio is asylum seeking after her husband was killed for opposing the authoritarian regime and she had to flee the country. She has already endured life-threatening injuries and a long, perilous journey to reach safety in the U.S., where she's tried to make a life where she can support her two children (whom she had to separate from, given her country's regressive laws for women). She deserves a fair chance to pursue her asylum case with full access to her attorney—something she cannot do effectively while locked in detention.

Releasing Rocio would allow her to heal safely, remain connected to her community, and continue pursuing her case lawfully. Her community stands ready to support her and ensure she attends all hearings, as we have done faithfully.

Your generosity is so appreciated. Thank you so much for your care. It matters.

*We're keeping things a little intentionally vague and light on the systems critique to protect privacy, as she's still working through a legal process.