I'm a school social worker at HERO High School in the Bronx. We are home to a vibrant immigrant community and are committed to creating a supportive and welcoming environment for our students and their families. I'm reaching out on behalf of one of our students who is facing imminent deportation, along with her mother and 10-year-old sister. They escaped severe sexual assault and life-threatening domestic violence in their country and applied for asylum upon entering the United States. Their lawyer stole their money and disappeared and they had to submit their asylum paperwork on their own and appear in court without any legal representation.

Unfortunately, they were assigned a judge who has the highest denial rate in all of New York City, approving only 7% of applications (as opposed to the overall city approval rate of 65%). Our student and her family have one last chance to file an appeal and have it reviewed by the Board of Immigration Appeals. If they are unsuccessful, they will be deported. We have attempted to obtain pro-bono legal representation, calling and emailing over 50 organizations. However, given the current immigration realities, no one is available to take their case at this time. We are asking the HERO family (and our friends and families) to help us gather funds to pay for legal representation. This is a time sensitive request, as the appeal must be filed within the next two weeks. The family is so grateful for your generosity.