“[Her abuser] would force himself on her and would tell her that, ‘You’re my girlfriend—this is what you’re supposed to do,’” says Grecia. “She thought it was okay and she blamed it on herself because one incident did occur in front of her daughter.” According to Grecia, Josefina became even more wracked with guilt when her daughter, who was very young and who loved her father, begged her, “Please don’t send Daddy to jail.”

Even awful things are better with other people. Currently, many of our clients are worried about a future that looks uncertain and bleak. Our young immigrant neighbors who have been here since they were children and are wondering why they are now considered “illegal” have just lost some hope. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) provided many of our immigrant youth with the ability to get a driver’s license, a job, and to pay taxes.

Those who came through the simulation started by receiving a specific refugee identity and backstory. They then made their way through various stations that simulated a refugee’s arrival and settlement in a camp. One station focused on food, showing the stark contrast between the amount consumed by the average American versus the typical weekly allotment for refugees, which consisted of a handful of rice and lentils, seven small carrots, a few root vegetables, and some sugar snap peas.