Description: Roanoke Asylum-Seekers Support Network
Roanoke Asylum-Seekers Support Network grew in part from a network of volunteers which was started in November 2018 when it came to our attention that there were asylum-seekers, usually in family groups of two to five members being released from detention centers to a Greyhound station in Dallas and frequently passing through the one in Roanoke. We started visiting the Greyhound station to meet up with those groups, get them some food and other supplies, and find out their needs (and often their likely arri
Most of the asylum-seekers in our program came from Honduras, crossed the south-west border, and requested asylum. They have an interview with an immigration official to determine if there is probable basis for their request. There has to be credible reason to believe that they have been persecuted because of political affiliation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or being in a special class of persons. If they pass this interview, they have one year to apply for asylum in an immigration court. Du
Our network is all volunteer, providing support services to our families. One or two volunteers, referred to as mentors, focus on assisting a family. If a family is new to the area, who literally just `got off the bus', the mentors work to find emergency housing, to assist in finding employment, an apartment, and enrolling children in school. Providing transportation and coordination for food banks, clothing closets, medical and dental needs, schools are primary services. Other volunteers are utilized for l