Client: Fighting deportation back to brutality and violence in Honduras

This client, who also did not wish to be named, entered the U.S. in 2002 via Texas. From the time he was a young boy, he was subjected to brutality and violence in his home country of Honduras.

At age 6, he witnessed the shooting death of a preacher right in front of him. He was forced to join the army at 16. He and several of his fellow soldiers were victims of harassment and assault by a lieutenant, and he was subjected to solitary confinement and torture, ranging from psychological abuse to being forced to bathe with toilet water for speaking out against the mistreatment. Officers slammed his fingers with a gun at one point, resulting in the loss of his fingernails.

He fled to the U.S., working and living here from his arrival in 2002. His brother was murdered suddenly back home in 2014, making it even more important for the client to be able to stay in the United States.

He had been living in the U.S. with a fellow Honduran friend for over eight years when he was arrested in November 2017 for a driving incident. He spent several days in jail before he was transferred to ICDC on an ICE hold. He has been detained there ever since, fighting his asylum case with the help of SIFI lawyers.