Asylum Win: Out of Detention and Back with Family!

Marco (name has been changed) reunited with his family in New York after he won his asylum case and was released from detention in Pennsylvania. We provided translations of crucial evidence for Marco, whose case was assisted by our partner organization ROCC NYC. Marco fled Venezuela after he was brutally assaulted by security forces at a peaceful anti-government demonstration. For his safety and that of his family, he had no choice but to come to the United States. US immigration authorities later detained him and moved him to an out-of-state detention facility. After Marco’s wife and ROCC NYC built his case, Marco was empowered with the evidence in hand to represent himself virtually in court from the detention center. The professional translations of medical reports and other documents that we provided free of charge convinced the courts that he had a valid claim for asylum. 

Court victories like this stop deportations and return people to their loved ones. Translation plays a crucial role in winning these cases, because it is the only way asylum seekers can tell their story of persecution to the court and back it up with enough translated evidence. 

Your contribution makes a huge difference! Please join our efforts to protect community members. 

Translation Stops Deportation!

In June, ICE had just boarded Maria (name has been changed) onto a deportation flight bound for her home country when her flight was suddenly halted. Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth’s office had intervened because of the petitions of Maria’s friends and advocates, who had reached out to the senator when she went missing from immigration detention. Maria’s advocates used the documents Refugee Translation Project translated to mobilize the senator’s office and to grant Maria a credible fear interview. This interview gives Maria the opportunity to make her case that the horrific gender-based violence she endured, and would face again if she returned, is reason enough to allow her to stay in the USA. Maria’s advocate told us, “I don’t think this would have been possible without the massive amounts of translated evidence we had to support our Maria’s case.” 

Translation plays a crucial role in supporting asylum cases.  Applicants would not be able to tell their story of persecution and prove it without a sufficient amount of translated evidence. RTP’s translations compliments the amazing work done by pro bono law firms and legal aid organizations to help immigrants and asylum seekers like Maria win their cases. 

Maria had fled her country with her young daughters after members of organized crime perpetrated years of gender-based violence against her and threatened her daughters. Our team of translators translated over 60 pages of testimonials by friends and neighbors, as well as dozens of pages of forensic reports, screenshots of violent text messages against her and her children, and police files documenting her abuse. Thankfully Maria was returned to have her day in court before she faced violent repercussions in her home country.

RTP receives dozens of cases like this every month and we are struggling to keep up, as demand is still outpacing funding. Our clients cannot afford the exorbitant costs of translation during this vulnerable time in their lives. Our Translation Stops Deportation campaign seeks to raise funds to support people like Maria, who have fled gender-based violence, as well as others who have fled political and ethnic violence.

Meet Our 2025 CUNY Interns!

Our two CUNY Career Launch interns, Izzy Taveras and Alesia Martinez, began their Social Services Access Team positions the week of July 14 at Cafewal, a space run by our partners EV Loves NYC and East Village Neighbors Who Care. Izzy and Alesia have each worked over 75 hours helping community members navigate immigration issues, apply for work authorization, resumes, find employment, and obtain social services and benefits.

Izzy and Alesia use their Spanish language skills to make the space more inclusive to Spanish-speaking community members while working with volunteer interpreters to assist French, Pulaar, and Wolof speaking community members who make up the majority of Cafewal’s community base.

Izzy Taveras majors in Criminal Justice at John Jay where she is working towards her certificate in legal translation and interpretation and volunteers as a researcher for language access policies in the United States. Izzy plans to apply for the BS/MA program at John Jay to earn her JD and PhD and possibly go into immigration law.

Alesia Martinez is a rising senior at Kingsborough Community College where she expects to graduate with an Associated in Science degree in Mental Health and Human Services, ultimately earning her master’s degree to become a licensed social worker. Growing up as a daughter of immigrants, she has  translated documents and helped family members navigate different application processes.