Maria & Ivan
“When I received this photo of my clients Ivan and Maria holding their granddaughter, I almost cried.” says Ana Sofia Cabello, Florence Project Detention Action & Response Team (DART) Managing Legal Assistant. “I met them after giving legal “Know Your Rights” presentations at Eloy Detention Center, where the couple was detained in separate wings.” Ivan […]
Advocating for LGBTQIA+ Asylum Seekers
This Pride Month, I want to tell you about my story and the people I serve. I came into this work because of my own identity and family history. My mother was born in South Korea and orphaned at a young age in the decade after the Korean War. She was adopted by a white […]
Eduardo & Antonio
Eduardo* and Antonio* met while working on a Cuban development mission to Venezuela. Eduardo was a dental hygienist; Antonio was an electrician. They fell for each other, but they didn’t feel safe in Venezuela or Cuba, where they both had been persecuted for being gay. To pursue safety and freedom, the couple fled to the […]
Alexey
Alexey had to flee Russia after protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Alexey grew up east of Kyiv and considers Ukraine his “motherland”. He moved to Russia as an adult to pursue job opportunities and was a naturalized citizen. Alexey’s mother and grandmother still live in Ukraine; they’ve called him crying as Russian missiles hit their neighborhood and they frequently must shelter underground […]
Joint Report Details Restrictions on Access to Asylum at Nogales, Arizona Port of Entry
Joint Report Details Restrictions on Access to Asylum at Nogales, Arizona Port of Entry
Mariana
Mariana first came to Arizona as a foreign exchange student from Brazil. She returned to the U.S. after high school with plans to attend college. She was eligible for legal permanent residency but was still saving money for the expensive immigration fees when a routine traffic stop changed her life. This was during Joe Arpaio’s […]
Joaquin
Joaquin* arrived with his father to the U.S.-Mexico border at the height of the 2018 family separation crisis. His father had previously lived in the U.S., but Joaquin had never left Guatemala before. In Border Patrol custody, they were separated, and Joaquin was sent to a children’s shelter in Tucson. There were surveillance cameras inside […]
Camila
This Mother’s Day is different for ourclient Camila*. She can’t be with her mom, which makes her sad, but the important thing is that she, her husband, and their children are together and safe. The family fled Colombia to escape persecution from a man who targeted Camila for years. They sought asylum at the […]
Florence Project and Kino Border Initiative: Biden’s Asylum Ban is Immoral and Illegal
Florence Project and Kino Border Initiative: Biden’s Asylum Ban is Immoral and Illegal The asylum processing rule will block access to protection for most migrants. Nogales, AZ – Today, the Biden administration released its final asylum ban rule, despite comments from thousands of individuals and organizations opposing it, including the Florence Project and the Kino […]
Florence Project Condemns Immigration Bill Proposed by Senators Sinema and Tillis
For Immediate Release May 8, 2023 Contact Greer Millard gmillard@firrp.org; (602) 795-7407 Florence Project Condemns Immigration Bill Proposed by Senators Sinema and Tillis The bill would codify Title 42-style expulsions and have drastic consequences for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Phoenix, AZ – The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project condemns in the strongest […]
