Andre Finds Safety and Acceptance in America

As a gay, disabled man living in Jamaica, Andre faced daily beatings, bullying, harassment, and discrimination. When he was 28-years-old, he fled his home country to seek asylum in the U.S.

Andre is pictured with De Novo Senior Immigration Attorney Lisa Laurel Weinberg outside the U.S. Asylum Office in Boston in 2023 after being granted asylum.

Andre suffered a lot as a child and a young man. He was bullied relentlessly in school and endured daily beatings from his stepfather, who at one point even hired a hitman to kill him. As he grew older, Andre was harassed by neighbors and the police, and he was violently attacked several times. Over the years, many of Andre’s friends were murdered because of their sexual orientation.

“I used to have to run for my life all the time.”

At the age of 10, Andre was enrolled in a school for children with intellectual disabilities. He found refuge from the bullying by joining the track, basketball and hockey teams. Andre excelled at sports and was chosen for the Special Olympics program. He qualified as the Jamaican national champion twice and competed in the Special Olympic World Games in China and South Korea. It was during this travel that Andre first experienced life free of homophobic violence and felt that he could be himself. “I didn’t have to look over my shoulder. I liked that feeling.”

With a visa he received to travel for the Special Olympics, Andre visited Florida for the first time in 2013. Here in the U.S., he saw men being openly gay.

“I felt like I just came to the promised land, like I was going to be safe here and protected,” said Andre. “I felt like I would have a chance in this country to better my life and be who I want to be and accepted for who I am.”

Andre was introduced by a friend to the LGBT Asylum Taskforce in Worcester, Mass. The taskforce paired Andre with a host family here and connected him to De Novo for help with applying for asylum.

Andre’s request for asylum was no easy process. His case was stuck in the asylum backlog for nine years before it was adjudicated. When Andre was finally scheduled for an interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), they denied the disability accommodations his lawyer had requested for him. Andre’s experience with USCIS was so troublesome that Human Rights First featured his case in their annual report exposing USCIS failures to provide accommodations to immigrants with disabilities. Even more, in his hearing, the immigration officer only elicited testimony about the abuse Andre experienced as a child and failed to interview him about the harm he faced as an adult or the threat of future harm he would face if he returned to Jamaica.

Despite these challenges, De Novo never stopped advocating for Andre. His attorney made sure his testimony was heard and ultimately, Andre was granted asylum. While leaving the courthouse after his case was granted, Andre looked to the sky and yelled, “Asylum is over! I finally have my freedom!”

Today, Andre has found a second family and a community who accept him for who he is. He loves to attend pride parades and posts about his life as an openly gay man on social media. Cooking is a passion of his, and he hopes to attend a culinary program.