Pro Bono In Action
Winston Wins Asylum for Honduran Woman Subjected to Extreme Domestic Violence
Pro Bono In Action
November 25, 2024
Winston attorneys helped a Honduran woman obtain asylum after she fled from a life filled with sexual and physical violence.
Our client grew up in rural Honduras, a country recognized by U.S. Courts to accept and even condone violence by males against women and girls. Beginning in childhood, she and her female family members were subjected to physical and sexual violence by their male relatives.
When she was 16, our client left home to escape the violence, but her older brother, who had sexually assaulted her, followed her to Mexico and threatened her. Ultimately, he was detained and sent back to Honduras, and our client made it safely to the United States where she filed for asylum in 2020.
After an uphill climb requiring novel legal arguments, and a heated evidentiary hearing, the Winston team successfully proved our client was eligible for asylum based upon her past persecution. She now lives in Chicago with her son, daughter, and partner, and works in a manufacturing job that she loves.
Natalie Holden first chaired the asylum hearing. The team was supervised by Kevin Goldstein, and included Whitney Adams, Christina Zaldivar, and paralegal Laurence Legall.
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