Asylum Application

Hello #ChosenFamily !

Trump promised to deport me. I am one of the 3 million who has a deportation order. I need to raise $2800 to make sure I can survive Trump's administration.

Without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and a deportation order, I do not know how long I will be able to survive when Trump comes into office and starts enacting his xenophobic and transphobic policies. For over 14 years, I have worked really hard to get my immigration status fixed and I don't want to give up.

I am scared as I do not know how to go back to a country and family that rejects me for being a trans woman. My mother's first words after Trump won the election were: "Is it possible to reverse your gender transition if you come back to Colombia? I am scared for your safety, I'm afraid for what you will have to face in the hands of society and our family." This deeply pains me because regardless of how politics are unfolding in the U.S., I am the happiest I have ever been.

Deportation is a death sentence to me. I cannot live without being my full self, I am Catalina, a trans woman, and nobody can take that from me. I ask for your support one more time to cover the remaining legal fees I need to pay my immigration attorney to fight for my asylum case.

I have already paid thousands of dollars on legal fees but they have become extremely heavy and difficult to cover. Like so many other undocumented immigrants in the U.S, I arduously organize for social change while doing my best to provide for myself in the expensive Washington, D.C. I also support my deported family in Colombia because of the lack of opportunities in my home country. Without a job permit and with a deportation order, I am the most vulnerable I have ever been. I know I am not alone. I know my chosen family, friends, and communities have my back. This is me right now standing up and fighting back!

En Solidaridad,


Catalina Velasquez