The stories we hear each day are portraits of pain and courage, of people so desperate that they leave behind family, friends, and possessions to flee torture, abuse, and possible death. Currently, we represent over 500 asylum-seekers fleeing from such circumstances throughout the world. Asylum-seekers receive no U.S. government benefits, and they do not receive authorization to work until months or years after they reach U.S. soil. Here are just a few people for whom we have won the chance to start again:

• “Jeaninne” was targeted in the DRC due to her political activity and her father’s leadership role in an opposition political party. She was beaten, raped, and imprisoned for months before managing to escape and seek asylum in the U.S. After eight years and successful appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals and the First Circuit, Jeannine finally won asylum before the Boston Immigration Judge, thanks to the perseverance of PAIR pro bono attorneys from Shapiro, Haber & Urmy and Foley Hoag.

• “Tatiana” advocated for better conditions in Chechnyan refugee camps and criticized the Russian government’s treatment of Chechnyan refugees. Russian forces responded by detaining, harassing, and threatening her and unlawfully arresting her son. Now that she has won asylum through the hard work of her PAIR pro bono attorneys from Ropes & Gray, Tatiana can now rebuild her life in the U.S.

• “Jose” fled Honduras because he was repeatedly harassed, beaten, and raped due to his sexual orientation and his courageous work as a gay rights activist. Despite the risk, he helped form an organization to document rights abuses within the gay community, such as police cruelty, mistreatment, and exploitation. As a result, Jose was arrested by a police officer who continued to extort, beat, and threaten him. With the help of the PAIR Asylum Attorney and his pro bono attorney from Burns & Levinson, he won asylum in the U.S. and continues to advocate for gay and lesbian rights.

• “Marjan” feared persecution in Iran due to her conversion to Christianity and her rejection of Islamic norms. Because conversion is illegal in Iran, she likely faces harm, including torture, imprisonment and death, if she were to return. She has won asylum in the U.S. due to the dedication of her pro bono attorney from Foley & Lardner and the PAIR Asylum Attorney.

• “Marie” worked as a nurse at a hospital in Haiti until political violence forced it to close. She began treating patients out of her own home, without regard to their political affiliation.  When the party in power in Haiti learned what she was doing, they burned her home to the ground.  Fearing for their lives, Marie and her children fled into hiding and escaped to the United States. Despite the strength of her claim, it was an uphill battle in immigration court that lasted over three years, but with the help of her PAIR pro bono attorney from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, the Immigration Judge finally granted her asylum in December 2007.

• “Ali” fled from Somalia as a young man when civil war led to threats against his life. He arrived almost penniless, and filed for asylum through PAIR. He won asylum in the U.S. due to the dedication of his pro bono attorney from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo. After winning his asylum case, he went on to work at an accounting firm, and later to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is now a U.S. citizen and holds a prestigious position in international finance.

• “Jevera” is a high school student from the West Bank who was featured in an Emmy Award-winning documentary on how the Middle East conflict affects children in Palestine and Israel. Threatened by a pro-Palestinian liberation organization for promoting peace between Israeli and Palestinian youth, he fled the West Bank at the age of 16 and won asylum with the help of his PAIR attorney. He is now applying to college and guest lectures at universities on ways to bridge relations between Palestinians and Israelis.