An ask for community support

Hi!

I’m reaching out with an update on a friend I met in Mexico, and an ask for support if you’re able.

Jon (name changed for privacy) is seeking asylum in Mexico from Jamaica for identity based violence. I met him while working at the shelter in Southern Mexico where he was a temporary resident. He is funny and cheerful and would tell me about Jamaica, his family and dogs, and his goals to go back to school for Psychology one day. He is relentlessly optimistic as he faces down the beast that is the immigration and asylum system in Mexico. Before I met him, he had been turned away at the U.S. border in Tijuana despite having textbook qualifications for asylum within the United States.

The general definition of an asylum seeker is:

“Any person who is outside any country of such person’s nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” ¹ (Immigration Equality)

The specifics for queer asylum seekers looking for refuge from identity based violence or fear of violence is:

“The elements of an asylum claim based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or HIV status are (1) a well-founded fear of persecution (2) based on past persecution or risk of persecution in the future if returned to the country of origin (3) because of the applicant’s membership in a particular social group (PSG) wherein (4) the persecutor is a government actor and/or a non-governmental actor that the government is unwilling or unable to control.” (Immigration Equality)

I know these definitions are wordy and can be confusing, but the point I’m trying to make is that Jon fits in easily to this definition and he should not have been turned away at the U.S. border. Throughout his continuous relocations throughout Mexico, he’s had to retell over and over his experiences of fear, violence, and hate in his home country to proof his “well-founded fear of persecution” and not be dismissed as a “frivolous” applicant.

After I left the shelter, Jon’s partner joined him from Jamaica and they ended up having to find housing in town because of continued discrimination and harassment at the shelter for their sexual identity. They are waiting on paperwork to certify permanent residence in Mexico, and have to go to the COMAR (Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance) office each week to sign a log proving they are still in town and waiting to hear on their case. They don’t have strong Spanish language skills (I was serving as an inadequate translator for Jon while I was at the shelter) and their process is continually delayed. In September, I got this text from Jon on the legal process,

“No timeline has been given and based on research we have done, this tends to be the norm for asylum seekers who speak another language. They further explained that the fact I have received a hearing date prior was an oversight and that it would’ve been moved as no one speaks fluent English at the office and it must be done by a COMAR official.”

This is how many of the updates have sounded since I left Mexico in May, with dates being pushed back and assurances being withdrawn. Thankfully, he told me a couple of weeks ago that he finally does have a hearing date scheduled for November 8th.

Since they’ve left the shelter, Jon and his partner have been paying for rent and food without stable work, tricky to find without a lot of language. This is where you guys come in. I’ve been sending Jon and his partner money semi-regularly since they left the shelter to help support them as they work to find a stable and safe living situation. I just made a GoFundMe to make this support a little more sustainable. Their monthly living costs are only about $250 USD, I’ve set the GFM goal higher to help support them more constantly, but it will be an ongoing fundraiser until they find a more stable situation. It would mean a lot to me and to Jon and his partner if you were able to contribute however much is reasonable to their fund. Please reach out to me with any questions! Jon and his partner are close to me and I’m so hopeful that my community will be able to show up for them when they need some help.

Here is the link. Thank you for reading through and for your support! <3