Michigan

Anxieties rise at Detroit haven for asylum seekers

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Freedom House is shown, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Detroit. Freedom House, based in a former convent on the grounds of Detroit's oldest parish and overlooking the river that separates Detroit from the Canadian city of Windsor, continues to ease the fears of asylum seekers from across the globe. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (The Associated Press)

Lucy Neighbor laughs with Deborah Drennan, Freedom House's executive director, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Detroit. With the help of several people, Neighbor escaped a jail where she was beaten and raped, secured a passport and U.S. tourist visa, and eventually found her way to Freedom House's front door in January 2008 from Cameroon. Neighbor, whose husband was fatally beaten during a government protest in their homeland, wasn't sure exactly what it was but felt at home the moment a worker from Africa opened the door.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (The Associated Press)

Lucy Neighbor visits at Freedom House Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Detroit. With the help of several people, Neighbor escaped a jail where she was beaten and raped, secured a passport and U.S. tourist visa, and eventually found her way to Freedom House's front door in January 2008 from Cameroon. Neighbor, whose husband was fatally beaten during a government protest in their homeland, wasn't sure exactly what it was but felt at home the moment a worker from Africa opened the door.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (The Associated Press)

They're worried and anxious at Freedom House in Detroit.

Freedom House is a shelter for immigrants who fled bloodshed and repression in their home countries and are asking for asylum in the U.S.

Run by a nonprofit organization, it houses up to about 50 people. They can stay for as long as two years while they get their feet on the ground. They learn English and receive legal help, job preparation and health care.

But now, residents and staff members are worried by the Trump administration's hard line on immigration, particularly its intention to end what it considers abuse of the asylum program.

Around Freedom House, there are fears that more immigrants will be turned down for asylum, deported and, ultimately, consigned to death in their home countries.