Andres is a young man from Nicaragua who is afraid of returning to his country because he fears assassination and torture by the government due to his political opinion that disagrees with the current administration and his participation in political protests. Andres began openly participating in protests after a law lowered the pension for retired people. People throughout the country protested. The police beat and hit senior citizens in attempts to stop the public demonstrations. This led Andres to join the protests in affiliation with different groups: as a civilian and as a student. Police also sought to silence students like Andres by hitting, detaining, kidnapping and even killing participants in student protests. The unrest caused the cancelation of in-person schooling, and classes were held online.

In 2018, Andres lived with his grandmother in a small town in Nicaragua and was a good student. He was well known in his town for his athletic skill in many sports. He attracted attention by participating in community events. When he started participating in protests, it was widely known in his community and small town. He participated in around 5 protests. During the protests, Andres participated by blocking the street, holding signs, and marching in the streets. He attended the protests with friends who fled the country at the beginning of the student repression. Andres was the last one of them to leave the country.

In another area of the country, Andres’ father was likewise heavily involved politically against the current government administration of Daniel Ortega. From 2018-2019, he worked in the ranch of the ex-president, Arnoldo Aleman, who is in direct opposition to Ortega. He started supporting the protests by taking food and water to protesters. Eventually, he joined the protests. In one incident, he was punched and kicked by the police, and he suffered many bruises, scratches, and a bloody eye.

This police assault upon his father led Andres to move to live with his parents. While he lived with them, the police went to the house with an arrest warrant for his father. Andres’ father hid in the house while Andres and his mom convinced the police the father was not there. The police threatened to take Andres and his mother to jail if they did not turn him in. Andres believes they did not target him specifically on that visit because he was still new to the area and the police in that city did not know of him as a protestor.

Andres’ uncle also participated in protests. At one protest, he was burned with battery acid by the police. Not long after this, Andres’ grandmother informed him that she received an arrest warrant against Andres. Currently both Andres and his father have arrest warrants against them that keep arriving to the house they used to live in together.

While he has some drug and alcohol-related convictions that preclude him from other forms of fear-based relief from deportation, Andres is eligible for protection under the Convention Against Torture, in which criminal convictions are irrelevant. He seeks a pro bono team to represent him in his individual deportation hearing in Annandale, Virginia. His individual hearing is currently scheduled for December 16, but Amica Center will help an interested team obtain a continuance for trial preparation as a condition of representation.

All Amica Center matters placed with a pro bono team are robustly mentored by an Amica Center attorney and/or fully Accredited Representative with expertise in representing clients in immigration proceedings. Our mentoring program includes an opening meeting to discuss the scope and process of the matter, provision of samples, guidance on the law, review of draft filings, assistance with client contact, and guidance on preparation for interviews and hearings.

• • Location: Caroline County, VA (detained) – facility allows in person visits and uses Virtual Attorney Visitation system.
  • Timeline: Individual hearing is set for  December 16 in Annandale, VA. Amica Center will help a pro bono team obtain a continuance as a condition of representation.
  • Language: Spanish – will require a fluent interpreter/translator

*Pseudonyms are used to protect privacy.