Juan has always loved food and cooking. He dreams of building a life here in the U.S., going to school, and becoming a professional chef. But he hasn’t always been able to envision that future.
Juan left Guatemala after receiving multiple death threats simply for being gay. He sought help from the police multiple times, but nothing was done. Fearing for his life, Juan saw no choice but to leave his home in search of safety.
Arrival to the United States
He arrived at the United States-Mexico border in March 2024 and told the border officials he was seeking asylum because he was afraid to return to Guatemala. He spent about a week in immigration custody, only to be told that he would not be given a credible fear interview, a necessary step for Juan to proceed with an asylum application. Without further explanation or an opportunity to exercise his right to seek asylum, he was deported to Guatemala.
It was still not safe for him to be in Guatemala, so he fled again. In April 2024, he arrived in Mexico where he suffered abuse and was held captive for days until his family paid a ransom for his release. Knowing he wasn’t safe in Mexico, he returned to the United States in May 2024. This time, he was sent to Eloy Detention Center, where we met him.
Detention in the U.S.
“Since the first [Know Your Rights presentation] with the Florence Project, I felt relief. I could tell they wanted to help me. It was a wonderful experience. You [Florence Project] are an angel to migrants in a detention facility,” Juan shared.
Juan remained in detention during his legal proceedings. He describes his time in detention as “very sad” and a “painful process.” As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, he shares he was bullied and suffered tremendously. But he did his best to remain positive and think of the future. He remembers thinking, “I will be free because I shouldn’t have to hide, not my feelings or how I dress or what color I wear. That’s what motivated me inside to carry on while in detention.”
In February 2025, our legal team represented Juan before the immigration judge. After hearing testimony and reviewing evidence, he was granted “withholding of removal” to Guatemala, meaning he could not be deported back to Guatemala because it would be unsafe. This meant that Juan could finally be released from immigration detention!
When he was told he was safe from deportation, Juan remembers, “I felt an immense happiness and excitement because, with the lawyers, we worked for almost a year to achieve this win. I was so excited.”
Third Country Removal
About two days after the good news, an officer told him to grab his things. “They told me ‘’you are leaving’ and that felt like the most beautiful news. I thought, I am going to be free, I am going to see my sister, my nephew. I will give them a hug and a kiss.”
Juan asked the officer where he would be taken, and the officer would not specify. He remembers asking to talk to his attorney and being denied. He told the officer he had won withholding, but the officer ignored him.
Juan was taken by bus to the border and, in Mexico, was forced to take another bus to Tabasco. There, he was told that he could apply for asylum in Mexico while detained there, or Mexican authorities would deport him to Guatemala. He was deported to Guatemala where Juan went into hiding. Again, he found himself in a country where a U.S. immigration judge had held that it was more likely that not he would be persecuted.
Litigation & Return to the United States
Meanwhile, the Florence Project connected him to partner organizations who filed a lawsuit on behalf of Juan and other people in similar situations. Thankfully, a federal judge ordered that Juan be returned to the U.S. to finally receive due process.
After a long, traumatic, and hugely unjust process, Juan is back in the U.S. The Florence Project secured his release on bond, and he is living with family. Juan now feels free to live openly as a gay man and shares “It is so liberating to be in a situation where I am free, where I can dress how I like to dress, it is beautiful to be able to express myself and say ‘this is who I am’ without being judged.”
“I want to be known for more than my [migration story],” he shares. “I want to get an education, I want to be prepared, I want to be a professional, I want people to say, ‘he came here, he bettered himself, and he is doing wonderful things.”
Pride month is a celebratory time but also a moment to stand in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ people fighting for freedom and safety in the United States. “Everyone should live openly, we should be free to express ourselves and not be afraid of who we are,” Juan shares to the LGBTQIA+ community. “I wish that all people can feel liberated, that they feel free to share who they are, to love without fear or judgement, and to be happy, because that is what represents the LGBTQIA+ community, that we are happy.”
Thank you for standing with the Florence Project and our LGBTQIA+ clients this month and all year round.