The stories we hear each day are portraits of pain and courage, of people so desperate that they leave behind family, friends, and possessions to flee torture, abuse, and possible death. Currently, we represent over 500 asylum-seekers fleeing from such circumstances throughout the world. Asylum-seekers receive no U.S. government benefits, and they do not receive authorization to work until months or years after they reach U.S. soil. Here are just a few people for whom we have won the chance to start again:

• “Marie” had been a nurse working at a hospital in Haiti until political violence forced it to close. She began treating patients out of her own home, without regard to their political affiliation.  When the party in power in Haiti learned what she was doing, they burned her home to the ground.  Fearing for their lives, Marie and her children fled into hiding and escaped to the United States. Despite the strength of her claim, it was an uphill battle in immigration court that lasted over three years, but with the help of her PAIR pro bono attorney from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, the Immigration Judge finally granted her asylum in December 2007.

• “Ali” fled from Somalia as a young man when civil war led to threats against his life. He arrived almost penniless, and filed for asylum through PAIR. After winning his asylum case, he went on to work at an accounting firm, and later to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is now a U.S. citizen and holds a prestigious position in international finance.

• “Jevera” is a high school student from the West Bank who was featured in an Emmy Award-winning documentary on how the Middle East conflict affects children in Palestine and Israel. Threatened by a pro-Palestinian liberation organization for promoting peace between Israeli and Palestinian youth, he fled the West Bank at the age of 16 and won asylum with the help of his PAIR attorney. He is now applying to college and guest lectures at universities on ways to bridge relations between Palestinians and Israelis.