Juan Carlos Martinez Mendez came to the U.S. from El Salvador at the age of 14. His mother, step-father, sister and two brothers had all obtained legal status. Although he applied for legal status at the age of 15, he was placed in deportation proceedings almost immediately.

On June 29, 2003, Juan Carlos was shot in the head in a parking lot outside a friend's apartment. He lost his right eye, and his nose was almost completely destroyed. He also suffered major damage to the bone in his cheek and eye socket. Despite his injuries, Juan Carlos spent two years behind bars, with little hope of recovery and fear of being torn away from his family and the only home he remembered.

NWIRP attorneys worked with Juan Carlos throughout two years of detention and numerous setbacks during a time when he had little reason to be optimistic. He recently told us, "Mentally and emotionally NWIRP provided me a lot of strength to not give up."

Thankfully, on January 4, 2007, Juan Carlos was released from detention and granted relief under the U visa for victims of crime. Right after his release, he received the procedures to receive an artificial eye and repair his nasal passages.