Help Juan fight Deportation! Appeal due Nov 17th!!

Juan is a loving husband and caretaker of his community. It would be a tragedy to lose a contributing member of society and friend to so many in Central New York if he is not granted asylum. On October 18, 2022, Juan's asylum application was denied after an almost 3-year-long battle at the Buffalo, NY, Immigration Court. Friends and activists who joined Juan and his wife in this long-awaited hearing were equally devastated as they listened to the 1.5-hour-long decision. On this day, the Immigration Judge also ordered Juan deported from the United States to Mexico.

We have less than one month to appeal this asylum denial AND protect Juan from deportation. This means that his paper Notice of Appeal, on Form EOIR-26, with all required documents, must be received by the Board of Immigration Appeals in Falls Church, Virginia, no later than November 17, 2022. The appeal will protect Juan from deportation. Your valued donation will help Juan pay an immigration lawyer to file his appeal ($6,500) and other fees. This is an expense Juan and his family cannot afford as they are already burdened with a $4,000 balance for past legal services.

Fighting for asylum in the United States of America has been a difficult and retraumatizing battle for Juan and his family. When Juan left Mexico in 2015, he fled a community plagued by drug cartel torture, extortion, and persecution. To support his asylum application, Juan provided evidence of kidnappings and torture affecting members of his family.

If you meet Juan, you would never imagine the immense pain living behind his charisma, selflessness, and perseverance.

When Juan's wife, Janet, saw him drive away to work in the early morning of January 27, 2020, she never imagined Juan would be taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Juan disappeared for hours as Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network members helped her locate him. In March 2020, Juan was granted bond and released from the Batavia, NY, immigration detention center to join his wife and friends in Syracuse, NY. Later that year, Juan and his wife started a tree removal, fencing, and concrete business named J&J Solutions General Contracting LLC. Unfortunately, this business does not relieve Juan from the financial stress demanded by this immigration battle. Their exterior work is seasonal, and job requests have already died down for the year. The video above shows Juan responding to an emergency call from a family with children during a wind storm.

When Juan is not bringing peace of mind to residents of Central New York through his reputable family business, he volunteers at Friends of Farmworkers House where he performs much-needed maintenance and repairs. FOFW is a house that provides hospitality to houseless farmworkers in Central New York. When asked what being part of this humanitarian team means to him, Juan said, "Volunteering at Friends of Farmworkers House makes feel happy, and one task always leaves me wanting to do more for my community." With love for gardening rooted in his Indigenous identity, Juan also volunteers at Ganondagan State Historic Site's annual corn husking and seed sorting bees shown in the video below.

Juan is a law-abiding resident of the State of New York; he has U.S. employment authorization, holds a New York State driver's license, and pays taxes.

Over the last 2+ years, Janet and Juan have been met with unending support from friends and activists in Central and Western New York, and they are eternally grateful for all that love.