Asylum for Tony Mokombo & Family

Our dear friend Antoine/Tony Mokombo needs our help. After at least two tries to secure permanent residence in the States, Antoine is now hoping that he and Lucie and their son Othniel will be granted asylum in the U.S. And he needs our help to afford the costs of legal representation for help with this process. Their hearing at the Immigration Court in Baltimore is fast approaching: it is set for October 12, 2021.

 

Johnson & Masumi, an immigration law firm in Vienna, Virginia, has agreed to represent all three Mokombos for $10,000. A Very Generous RPCV has covered the first $4,500 of the retainer fee, but Tony and Lucie have no other means to pay the remaining $5,500, and reached out to a few CAR RPCVs for help.

 

We can do this, friends.

 

Many of us have known Antoine for over forty years. We saw him grow from high school kid working at stage to development professional to pastor here in the US. WWF brought him to the US and sponsored him for a green card, though he unfortunately could not complete the process. He then left WWF for his calling at his church. The church sponsored him for several years, but currently is closed due to COVID.

 

Now asylum is their last option. They really cannot safely go back to CAR at this point. Tony has had lengthy interviews with US Customs and Immigration Services. A number of us have written testimonials for him. Let’s help him to afford the balance of the cost for decent legal assistance at this stage of his endeavor. He’s our kid brother!

PS: This is the first time I have set up a GoFundMe page. I don't like the way it says at the bottom "support Barbara Howald's journey..." because this is about Antoine, duh. But I don't know how to change that language. Also, Tony is the only person who will be withdrawing the funds - not moi.