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Mar 19 In the Community, Press Releases

Higgs Fletcher & Mack Attorneys Rachel Moffitt and Jamie Ritterbeck Gain Asylum for Guatemalan Youth

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SAN DIEGO – March 19, 2017 – Higgs Fletcher & Mack attorneys, Rachel Moffitt and Jamie Ritterbeck, won political asylum for Carlos, a 17-year old Guatemalan boy who arrived in the United States two years ago.

“Asylum is rarely granted, especially for those coming to the United States from Central America,” said Ritterbeck. “We persevered and he’s now living here legally, going to school and, in five years, will be eligible for citizenship.”

Casa Cornelia, a public interest law firm in San Diego that provides pro bono legal services to victims of human and civil rights violations, asked Moffitt and Ritterbeck to represent Carlos in his efforts to obtain asylum. After more than a year of work on Carlos’s case, and as a direct result of their representation, Carlos was granted political asylum.

Carlos endured years of unspeakable violence by members of the internationally-connected MS-13 gang, along with physical abuse from his father, including forced labor beginning at the age of 7.

“We’re now representing Carlos’ younger brother, Jorge, who recently arrived in the U.S.,” said Moffitt. “We’re hoping to achieve the same outcome and keep the brothers together.”

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