Mauricio’s story: beloved school custodian granted residency
Mauricio Bautista fled to Virginia in the late 1980s during the civil war in El Salvador. He applied for asylum and waited more than a decade for a response. In the meantime he was granted a work permit, married a US citizen, and became the father of two boys. But 20 years after he first entered the country he still lacked legal residency. Earlier this year his case went to court and the bi-lingual school in Washington DC where he works rallied around him. In a triumphant and emotional victory, Mauricio was granted legal residency and now can confidently continue his work with children. And for the first time in 25 years, he is able to return home and see his mother, and introduce his sons to their grandmother.
