Securing Asylum for a Trafficking Survivor
"Selena" fled Honduras in 2015 after surviving years of brutal persecution by an MS-13 gang leader. Treated as a "jaina"—a gang leader's captive girlfriend—she was imprisoned (along with her sister), forced into domestic and sexual servitude, and subjected to severe physical, emotional, and sexual violence. When Selena bravely escaped and asked Honduran police for help, officers instead collaborated with her abuser. MS-13 retaliated by murdering Selena's cousin and attempting to kill her father, making it clear she had nowhere safe to turn.
Selena and her sister undertook a dangerous journey to the United States, arriving in December 2015 to seek asylum. Government shutdowns and COVID-19 delays stretched her case over nearly a decade, but in 2025, the court finally heard her story. Recognizing the severity of her persecution and the impossibility of returning to Honduras, the court granted Selena asylum. This decision not only affirms Selena's right to safety but also sets a powerful precedent for survivors of gender-based violence and gang persecution.
But Selena's fight is not over. The government has appealed the decision, and we continue to defend her right to remain safely in the United States.
!["Selena" / Photo by Bernard DeLierre [cite: 164]](images/immigration/selena-photo-by-bernard.png)