Written by: Isa Gutierrez
Andy was 15 years old when he arrived at the U.S. border with his aunt, who he called “mamá” because she raised him. Within an hour, they were separated.
“They didn’t let us talk. They didn’t let us say goodbye. They didn’t explain anything,” he said.
Andy was suddenly alone in a country he didn’t know, without the one person who had always been his anchor.
“It was the most horrible thing I’ve ever lived through,” he said. “My only support, my only source of hope, was gone.”
Leaving Home
“Staying wasn’t safe anymore,” Andy said. “We had to leave.”
Andy grew up in Central America with very little, raised by extended family. He calls his biological aunt his mamá because she adopted him and raised him as her own.
“People treated me differently because of mamá.” His mamá is transgender, something that was widely known in their community. “In my country, the discrimination never goes away. It follows you everywhere you go.”
Andy described being insulted and rejected by peers at first. Over time, the harassment escalated into violence, with people in his community even encouraging gang members to hurt him because of his family. At the same time, his family was struggling to survive. Andy said they often lacked basic necessities, and he left school to work and help them get by.
“We suffered a lot,” he said.
Years in Limbo
Andy and his mamá turned themselves in and asked for protection as soon as they reached the U.S. border. After they were separated, Andy was moved through youth programs and shelters in different states without knowing where she was or whether she was safe.
He described the day he learned she was alive and released from detention as one of the best moments of his life. But many questions remained unanswered.
Andy’s immigration case was still unresolved. At court hearings, he heard government attorneys argue that he should be sent back to his country of origin, where he no longer felt safe. He focused on school and work, trying to build a life without knowing if he’d have to leave it all behind.
He remembers waking up early every morning to call every legal aid number he could find. He waited on hold for hours, sometimes never reaching anyone. Others told him they couldn’t help or quoted fees he couldn’t afford.
Time was running out. Turning 21 could limit his options for protection.
“It felt like a miracle”
Then, Andy found legal representation.
“It felt like a miracle,” he said.
KIND took on Andy’s case after he was released from custody and connected him with a KIND attorney who would help him with his ongoing case.
“She got to work immediately,” Andy said. “She put everything in order.”
For the first time in years, Andy felt hopeful.
“It felt surreal to have someone give me that level of support that no one else was able to give me,” he said. “She explained everything clearly. Everything she promised, she followed through on.”
Andy pursued Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), a form of humanitarian protection for young people who have experienced abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
“It gives you security,” Andy said. “It gives you hope.”
Building a future
With KIND’s support, Andy received a work permit that finally allowed him to work and support himself. When he shared his goal of learning English, KIND staff helped provide a computer so he could take online classes.
“Now I can communicate. I can work,” he said.
Then came the call he’d been waiting for:
“My attorney told me my Special Immigrant Juvenile Status was approved,” Andy said. KIND then helped him gain legal permanent residence.
For the first time in years, Andy felt like he could breathe. After so much uncertainty, he could finally focus on the future he once thought was out of reach.
“I am living my dream now, as a free person,” he said.
Today, Andy is building that future. He runs his own home remodeling business and hopes to grow it and hire other young immigrants like him.
“Thanks to KIND I have the opportunity to do that,” Andy said. “I had so many things stacked against me. I don’t even have words to thank them.”
Andy hopes to one day give back by being part of something like KIND.
“Children and young people need support,” he said. “If it weren’t for KIND, I wouldn’t be here pursuing my dreams.”
