Selky is reunited with his family

In October 2018, Selky Azaah fled unspeakable horror and suffering in Cameroon. Running for his life, he had no choice but to leave behind his wife, Claudia, and their two young children. 

He made an extraordinarily challenging journey from Nigeria to Ecuador and eventually to the US / Mexico border. After presenting himself to ICE to request asylum, he was imprisoned in an immigration detention center in Aurora, Colorado, for 8 months. 

While in detention, Jessie Capstick visited him and raised the money to hire an immigration attorney on his behalf. In August 2019, Selky won asylum and has lived in Denver for 3 years, where he became a part of the Capstick family. 

Jessie’s children are roughly the same age as Selky’s, and they dreamed with Selky about a day when he would be reunited with his family.

On October 13, 2022, their dream became a reality when Selky was reunited with his family when they arrived at Denver International Airport. 

As a result of the strong advocacy of Jessie, an almost-new apartment became available for Selky’s family the day before they arrived in Denver. Jessie and her friends ensured that the apartment was fully furnished in time for the arrival of Selky’s family. 

When Selky left Cameroon, his daughter was 4 months old. When she saw Selky for the first time in 4 years, she pointed at him and said, “That’s my daddy.” 
 

CIJF Annual report

Each year, millions of people around the globe are forcibly displaced from their homes. Last year, 89.3 million people endured this hardship, which is the highest number in the last 30 years. 

Had Jessie not hired an attorney to take on Selky’s asylum case, his odds of winning asylum would have been much lower. If Selky had lost his case, he would have been deported, potentially to his death.

Selky and Jessie inspired us to create the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund, and Selky has become a valued member of the CIJF team. We recently completed our second year of operations, and have created this annual report to tell the story of what our donors have made possible on behalf of other immigrants who have stories similar to Selky’s. 

During our second year, our donor community enabled us to fund the following: 

• 28 immigration cases, 15 of which have been completed

• 2 humanitarian aid applications for Afghans hiding in their own country

• Ancillary services for 5 immigrants, including expert witness and medical examination fees

We are humbled that over 200 people and organizations have donated toward this work during the last 2 years. If you would like to do the same, you can do so here. 

With hope and gratitude, 
Greg Mortimer on behalf of the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund team