David Broderick co-wrote with Sarah Plastino a profile of Maria, a Honduran child refugee, who obtained asylum in the United States through the work of Pro Bono lawyers and the non-profit, KIND (Kids in Need of Defense). The article also details the complications of immigration and asylum in the U.S. legal system. Kevin Li and Irene Hurtado worked with Broderick on the case.
Below is an excerpt of the article:
Maria is a vibrant 16 year old who is interested in sports, fashion, video games and most other things that teenagers enjoy. She likes her high school and her teachers, but admits that sometimes she doesn’t turn in her homework on time. She loves her family, but also admits they sometimes get on her nerves. She is looking forward to college and, according to her current plans, a career in banking or finance. Maria may seem like an average American teenager, with the same interests, hopes, dreams and frustrations, but less than two years ago she and her family were living in terror, in constant danger of violence and death.
Maria and her family (consisting of her mother, her brother, her older sister Carmen and Carmen’s two children) lived in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a city with the distinction of having the highest murder rate in the world. Gangs fueled by drug money (most of it originating from the United States) control not only the neighborhoods (colonias) but also every institution, from the police to the judiciary.