Dear Mr. xxxxxx,

My name is Sylvia Gonzalez. I’m from Castle Hills, Texas, and I’ve been an IJ client since 2020. When I teamed up with IJ four years ago, I never imagined my case would go all the way to the United States Supreme Court. But today, I sat in the highest court of the land and watched the talented IJ attorneys present my case to the nine Justices. 

My case began after I successfully ran for city council in Castle Hills, becoming the first Hispanic councilwoman in my town’s history. I was excited to represent my neighbors and make meaningful change for them.  But when I spoke up about their concerns, I was met with a coordinated campaign of retaliation from the town government. You can learn more about that in the video below:  

As I recount in the video, I was thrown in jail on fabricated charges. I was handcuffed, frisked, and my mugshot was taken and splashed across local news channels, along with news of the arrest.  

I was appalled that at this date and time in our country someone could be jailed, mistreated, and humiliated for simply wanting to help the citizens of the city. I resigned, thinking there was nothing I could do. 

That’s when I met IJ. I was elated that someone was willing to listen to my side of the story and wanted to help me remedy the injustice I had faced. IJ validated what I knew to be true—being able to disagree with the government is at the heart of our country. And they empowered me to stand up and make sure that others are not silenced the way I was.

To the people who support IJ, I’m very grateful to each and every one of you. Your generosity makes real change in the lives of everyday Americans like me, who face overwhelming injustice and cannot fight back without an advocate like IJ.

Before IJ got involved, I thought my case was hopeless. But after today’s arguments, I’m hopeful the Court will rule in my favor. But no matter the outcome, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I will always cherish. Thank you to my attorneys, the whole IJ staff, and all IJ supporters. 

Sylvia  

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