For years, Santos-Zacaria dreamed desperately - of escape.

Supreme Court decision is a victory for transgender and immigrant
justice

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Safiya Charles     Read the full piece here

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friend,  

Estrella Santos-Zacaria has come a long way from San Pedro Soloma,
Guatemala, a village nestled in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes
mountains and known as El Valle del Ensueño, or the Valley of
Dreams.

For years, Santos-Zacaria dreamed desperately - of escape.

In 2008, she attempted to immigrate to the U.S., fearing that the
violence

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she had experienced because of her sexual orientation and identity as
a transgender woman could get her killed. Since then, she has been
deported twice.

But in January, her case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And
on May 11, Santos-Zacaria won the right to further challenge her
deportation - and the potential to start a new life in the U.S.
Other immigrants facing deportation could benefit, as well, because
the ruling helps clear a procedural obstacle

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for noncitizens seeking judicial review of rulings by the Board of
Immigration Appeals (BIA)
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, an administrative appellate body within the U.S. Department of
Justice.

More from the SPLC:

Embracing my heritage: What Thanksgiving means to me as a Cherokee
woman

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Five innovation labs that research new routes to social justice

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The Supreme Court's decision
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, authored by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, also marks a notable step
in its acknowledgment of transgender people. Santos-Zacaria's
chosen name, Estrella, was referenced alongside her former given name,
and her proper pronouns were used throughout.

The case was the first initiated by the Southern Poverty Law
Center's Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI)
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to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. SIFI provides pro bono legal
representation to asylum seekers who are being held at immigrant
detention centers in the Deep South.

"What Estrella's won is the right to keep fighting,"
said Peter Isbister, senior lead attorney for SIFI. "And that
would not have been possible without her team of volunteer attorneys.
Cases and clients like Estrella are why SIFI believes so deeply in
having a pro bono program."

Read More

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In solidarity,

Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center

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working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy,
strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of
all people.

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