PAIFUP is thrilled to report that our client, MC, has been released from custody just in time for the holidays, which he will spend with his family in Pennsylvania. MC is an indigenous asylum seeker from Guatemala who was released from ICE detention to the custody of his father in Pennsylvania. MC speaks Q'eqchi' and came to the United States when he was just 16 years old with his father, after fleeing violence based on his indigenous identity in Guatemala. As a child, he was forced to drop out of school to work in the fields. When he came to the United States, he began working in the mushroom industry and contributing to his community. MC met his partner in the United States and they had a baby, who turns one year old in January 2025. He was arrested by immigration officials and detained at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in May 2024. As a Q'eqchi'-only speaker, he struggled to communicate and represent himself because he had very limited access to resources and information in his native language. 

After meeting our PAIFUP team during a visit to Moshannon in October 2024, we began representing him on his asylum application and on bond. After filing an application for asylum, his PAIFUP attorney worked closely with community partners, including New Sanctuary Movement, to seek his release from custody. In December 2024, an Immigration Judge granted MC a bond of $1,500; New Sanctuary Movement graciously paid the bond from their community bond fund so MC could return to his family. He will continue to pursue his asylum case, with his PAIFUP counsel by his side, and with the support of his community and family.