Kelly is a 24-year-old asylum seeker from Honduras. She fled the country when she was just 12 due to violence against her based on her transgender identity. After arriving in the U.S., immigration authorities detained her in August 2017 and locked her up while she waited for the results of her asylum claim. The campaign for humanitarian parole by Amnesty activists and her many local supporters stretched back many months. Calls for her release ramped up recently when Kelly feared becoming infected by COVID-19 because of the inadequate measures taken by authorities to protect detainees and staff from the virus. Her lawyer credits this campaign for her release; there was no judicial reason for freeing her.
Here is Kelly right after her release from the detention centre in Colorado where supporters had set up a protest camp.
What was the first thing Kelly did on her release? Gather with supporters for a celebratory lunch! And she expressed deep appreciation to all who took action on her behalf: “Thank you for all the support you have given me, all the strength, all your fight against [immigration authorities]. They finally accepted my freedom. Thanks to the huge efforts from each of you. For this, I’m completely grateful to all the people who have helped me since day one, since day zero that I’ve been fighting for my liberty. I’m infinitely grateful because without your support, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m happy, thankful to God, and to everyone that has put me on their path.”
Send Kelly a message of solidarity and support on the updated action here!