Help Y&E Appeal for Asylum and Safety

Y & E have been students in Immanuel Bible Church's ESL program for several years. We've seen Y go through chemo and E deal with Bells Palsy and the increased demands of a much more responsible job for which a fellow ESL classmate had encouraged him to apply. Y&E attended the English service with Ruth S., E's English teacher, to grow both their faith and their English. We celebrated when their young-adult son was granted asylum. Now we are stunned that Y&E were not also granted asylum, even though the same conditions of harassment by the Nicaraguan government are in place for them as for their son. (Their son spoke out against the government while in college, precipitating harassment of him and his parents.) An MRI taken during Y's treatment backs up her story of ribs broken when government forces detained her.

They have 30 days in which to appeal or leave the US. Fearing for their lives and health if they return, they are changing to their son's lawyer for their appeal but that will cost $6,000 they don't have. They will continue to work, based on the work permits granted when they applied for asylum, as long as that is allowed but they don't have a way to suddenly bump up their income by $6,000 in under a month. Extended family have gone together to lend them $3,000 to start the appeal process but the lawyer will not file everything until full payment is received.