La Casita opens doors to new lives for immigrants navigating the legal system of a strange land. First Hispanic Baptist Church of Trenton, N.J., started the La Casita ministry in 2006 with funds collected by members.

Not so long ago, Peter focused largely on survival. But since March 2007, this gifted young man, now enrolled at a top U.S. university, has been filled with hope for a bright future.

This transformation came about thanks to La Casita, a ministry begun by Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Trenton (First Hispanic Baptist Church of Trenton, N.J.) that provides legal services to immigrants at minimal cost. La Casita helped Peter gain asylum in the United States.

For Peter (whose name has been changed to protect his safety), the transition to freedom and opportunity has been dramatic. As an asylee, he is permitted to live, work and study in the United States without restrictions. Soon he may apply for permanent resident status, and in five years Peter will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. 

That's a far cry from life in the perilous, oppressive and fear-ridden culture that shaped his childhood and youth in a conflicted African homeland. Ethnic persecution, unaddressed—and even encouraged—by the government, put his family at risk. When civil war broke out, members of his ethnic group were routinely abused by soldiers on all sides of the conflict, and abuse and oppression followed the family both within and beyond the borders of their homeland. 

In Peter's case, La Casita's services were vital, because asylum is a complex issue. Only those present in the United States may apply, and they must prove to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service that they cannot return to their country of origin because of reasonable fear of persecution (either by the government or a group the government cannot or will not control) based on race, religion, national origin, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.

Not only is the process complicated, however, it is selective as well. The immigration service approves only about 30% of applications, and immigration courts approve only about 25%. So asylum applications must document an applicant's story accurately and build the case with great care.

Like many others assisted by La Casita, Peter's story is filled with societal instability and personal desperation. He still relives horrifying childhood memories of his father's abduction by armed men to a notorious forested area from which many innocent civilians never returned. Only with the help of an influential neighbor was Peter's father eventually able to come home. Moving to another region did not help: Peter's family, easily identified by ethnicity, remained a target of persecution and abuse. With no hope of acceptance and safety in their homeland, the family fled to a refugee camp in another country. 

At the camp schools, Peter and his siblings were encouraged by their father to take education seriously. Peter excelled, winning a regional award for scholastic excellence and placing eighth nationally in high school exams.

Even so, persecution continued. Peter's father was able to start a small business, but the family was robbed, and Peter was almost killed. At school, Peter and his brother were beaten by classmates. Peter's academic award, instead of commanding respect, elicited death threats that kept him housebound at night for safety.

Despite this turmoil, Peter's academic accomplishments were noticed, and in 2005 he was admitted to an Ivy League university in the United States on a full scholarship. In 2006, he was referred to La Casita, because he didn't have enough money for a private attorney's help with an application for asylum. 

Tatiana Durbak, Esq., a committed Christian from the Ukraine who provides legal counsel for La Casita, met with Peter over several weeks “to prepare an accurate affidavit which explained in detail his past experiences and laid a firm foundation for the application.”  She conducted research about Peter's country, identified experts who would corroborate Peter's claims pro bono, and found an organization in the United States that was able to verify that Peter belonged to a particular ethnic group. 

After the documentation was prepared, compiled and submitted, she also prepared Peter for his interview. “A week later” she recalls, “he learned that if his FBI clearance was satisfactorily completed, he would be granted asylum.” 

With great thanks, Peter credits La Casita for helping him secure a new life filled with opportunity and possibility. He is thankful, as well, for National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA and American Baptist Churches of New Jersey, without whose support La Casita could not operate.

This special ministry with a heart for “the stranger in the land” helped to open the right door at the right time for Peter. Its outreach lies at the heart of the gospel's call to compassionate care, and the results of its ministry bear witness to God's blessings. For Peter and scores of others facing the formidable obstacles to immigration and asylum, La Casita has been, and will continue to be, a beacon of guidance and a wellspring of hope for bold ventures into a new world.     

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