Why Miguel left Honduras: A Story in Pictures

When Miguel* left Honduras, he did not know what was going to happen. Would he be able to make it to the United States border? Would he be able to reunite with his father in Philadelphia? Would he be allowed to stay?

But Miguel did know one thing: he had to leave.

When Miguel’s HIAS Pennsylvania lawyer asked him to draw pictures of why he had to leave Honduras, this is what he drew:

They kill whoever does not harm them.

They scare minors and rape them. (Miguel’s sisters were threatened).
But most of all:

The gangsters wanted Miguel to become one of them, selling drugs.

There was no way to say no. He had to run away.

And thanks to lawyers at HIAS Pennsylvania, Miguel, unlike many of his peers, gets the chance to argue his asylum claim in court. He has reunited with his father and can start a life free from the fear of gangsters and death.