Alberto Ferrufino was forced to leave El Salvador during the civil war of the 1980s; he eventually settled in Washington DC and after working hard at low-wage jobs for a number of years succeeded in fulfilling the requirements for permanent residency.

In 1993 he took over the ownership of the Don Juan restaurant in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Washington DC and quickly transformed the enterprise into a popular community place.  He and his wife run the business together and have tripled it’s numbers of employees in the last ten years.  Alberto believes that if more immigrants were given the opportunity – that he was fortunate to have – then the United States would be that much more successful economically.

Linzi, a U.S. citizen, fell in love with Domingo, a Mexican immigrant, when she was 13 years old. They married in 2006. They have three daughters together.  Domingo was detained in June 2008 during an appearance at the Wake County Courthouse He was taken into immigration custody. Linzi was left to care for her children on her own.  Linzis story, of not knowing if Domingo would ever be released, reflects the uncertainty faced by thousands.  Film clip from Eileen Mignoni