Support an Asylum Seeker Detained in Court in NYC

This is an experiment I have never tried before. I am hoping to raise money for a New Yorker detained suddenly and without justification at his immigration court hearing in Manhattan to hire private counsel to represent him in his removal proceedings in Texas.

As many of you may know, since ICE began detaining people at their immigration court hearings in late May, thousands of people have been detained -- in New York, many are still in removal proceedings, so now they need to seek asylum while detained often far from their families. If they were being held at detention centers in New York, they'd qualify for free representation. But shipped off to detention centers elsewhere, they do not.

This individual, Danny A., is an asylum seeker from Venezuela. When he was handcuffed and led away suddenly outside a courtroom in Manhattan, he left behind his pregnant wife and 5-year-old daughter. He was incommunicado for days before finally appearing at a detention center north of Houston. Soon after that, he got extremely sick and could hardly get out of bed. His wife reports he has lost almost 20 lbs. His requests for help went unheeded until somehow -- whether through his requests or mine by email -- he was finally seen my medical staff, given antibiotics, and his health began to improve.

He has a strong asylum claim but it is a complex one, related to his past employment in Venezuela. He needs an expert attorney to represent him and help him gather and file evidence and to prepare his testimony in court. This is not a serve nonprofits in New York provide when people are transferred out of state. I have found a highly recommended attorney in Texas, who is an expert in Venezuela, who can take the case despite the imminent deadline to file evidence in court but charges between $4500-$5500. The family does not have this money.

My hope is to raise the money through gofundme so that Danny can have counsel, and an advocate in his corner; win his asylum case; and come home to his family in New York.