After six years in the United States seeking asylum, Nayeli faces one last hurdle: in order to resolve her legal case in El Paso she needs your support to help pay her attorney fees. At the beginning of the pandemic, Nayeli missed a virtual hearing in El Paso that she knew nothing about since she thought the case had been resolved. As a result, the court issued an arrest warrant for her.

If Nayeli is able to resolve this case in El Paso, the path will be cleared for her to apply for permanent residency next year. If she does not fundraise the amount needed to pay the attorney, she will remain in legal limbo, with an outstanding arrest warrant and no legal avenue to permanent residency after a six year battle just to get approved for asylum. Please help Nayeli overcome this last obstacle by supporting her goal of fundraising $4000 to pay her attorney and resolve her case!

Additional background info: after we made multiple attempts to contact her court-appointed lawyer through the El Paso public defender's office, the lawyer abruptly withdrew from the case because he didn't want the extra work. The public defender's office in El Paso has since refused to take the case in spite of the fact that Nayeli has no stable income and meets every requirement for being assigned a public defender.

Nayeli is experiencing a version of what poor people across the U.S. face every day: being denied a public defender even though she is legally entitled to one, navigating an absurdly complex and punitive legal system, and being offered zero accommodations for her neurodivergence. Nayeli has therefore decided to hire a private attorney to resolve the case and avoid the trauma of being re-incarcerated.

Nayeli Legal Fund 2024-25 <> Fondo Legal para Nayeli 2024-25

By Joel Smith

Nayeli Legal Fund 2024-25 <> Fondo Legal para Nayeli 2024-25

Help Neurodiverse, Trans Refugee Achieve Permanent Residency! <> !Ayuda a un refugiado trans y con neurodiversidad a conseguir residencia permanente!