In 1997, Mexico police raided a gay discotheque under the premise of searching for drugs. No drugs were found; however, the patrons were subjected to demeaning verbal and physical mistreatment. Because Armando was both a witness and a victim of the attack, an officer approached him and took his ID card and told him “you are going to remember me.” From that night on, Armando endured continued harassment, threats, violence, extortion, and robbery at the hands of this police officer and his friends. For years Armando endured the constant threats and violence against him.

In February 2005, Armando came to San Francisco. Through the help of a former client of NCLR, he contacted us and we immediately approached the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights to locate a pro bono attorney for him. With the help of Angela Bortel at Kerosky & Associates, his asylum application was filed in January 2006. Armando successfully obtained asylum in June 2007 and he is currently attending San Francisco City College.