Thanks to a 2019 Cleveland.com article by Mike McIntyre: Haitian Asylum Seeker Ansly Damus adjusting to freedom seeking work to help family at home (photo credit Chuck Crow / Plain Dealer) — Ansly is now working 40+ hours a week and sharing an apartment with Jonas, also from the Congo.
After the article was published, Ansly was hired by Federal Metals in Bedford Heights and has been working in their plant for many months. When he first started his new job, the company president Peter Nagusky was so supportive he rode his own bicycle to work with Ansly to show him how to get there.
Now a licensed driver, Ansly owns a car and has been sending money back to Haiti to support his family and other children in their school community. He keeps in touch with his family every day but still misses them a lot.
With his asylum appeal is still pending, he is becoming an American and has made new friends beyond Gary, Melody and the small army of supporters who rallied for his freedom.
Our work to support Ansly has expanded to create a community of support for other people seeking legal status in the United Sates, and Ansly has become a patron of freedom for others by making a personal donation to our one-year anniversary fundraiser which raised over $17,000 to help provide for immigrants basic needs. Learn more.