Asylum-seekers from around the world face new challenges at the U.S. border. President Donald Trump suspended the asylum system just after his inauguration as part of his wide-ranging crackdown on illegal immigration.
Many of the immigrants they arrived with have left the Costa Rican facility where they were first detained, but the Russian family has stayed. The man cannot imagine going back to Russia and has nowhere else to go.
He and his wife spend their days teaching Russian and a little English to their son. He organizes volleyball games to keep people busy.
He is not angry at the U.S. He understands the administration wanting to crack down on illegal immigration. But, he adds, he is in real danger. He followed the rules and can’t understand why he didn’t get a chance to plead his case.
He fights despair almost constantly, knowing that what he did in Russia brought his family to this place.
“I failed them,” he said. “I think that every day: I failed them.”
how sad. You’re only failure was thinking the administration wanted to ‘crack down on illegal immigration.’
how sad. You’re only failure was thinking the administration wanted to ‘crack down on illegal immigration.’