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Solidarity with the Jalloh Family: A Case for Asylum-Hearing slated for May 2025 in Chicago & War Survivor Haja Saran Jalloh and Family Seek Asylum in U.S A.
The Jalloh family has endured unimaginable hardship—having witnessed the ravages of war, the brutalities of forced cultural practices, and the persistent scars left by trauma that continue to haunt them in their present lives. The case before the Chicago Court, concerning Haja Saran Jalloh and her family, is not just about seeking asylum; it is about preserving the dignity, safety, and future of a family who have already paid the highest price for peace.
Background: A Family Torn Apart by War and Trauma
Haja Saran Jalloh, like many Sierra Leoneans, lived through the horrors of the Sierra Leone Civil War, a conflict that left more than 50,000 people dead, with many others maimed or displaced. From 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone was devastated by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, who inflicted untold atrocities on civilians. In the midst of this brutality, Haja and her family were forced to flee their home, not just to escape the violence but to protect their children from even worse fates.
A Life Marked by Violence and Loss
Haja’s mother, Jellyfarma Kuyateh, was a champion of the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in their community in Koidu City, Sierra Leone. After her mother’s brutal murder in the Kailahun District during the war, Haja’s family became the target of vengeance. Local women who had been subjected to FGM by Haja’s mother, seeking revenge, went after Haja’s daughters to forcefully initiate them into the “Bondo” society—subjecting them to the same horrific practices. This, along with the overwhelming psychological scars left by the war, forced Haja to seek safety and security in the United States.
Fleeing Sierra Leone for a Safer Future
Upon arriving in the U.S., Haja hoped for a peaceful life where she could care for her children, Mohamed Jim Jalloh (born in 2010 in Jefferson City, Missouri) and her twins—Fatmata Jalloh and Hawa Cathy Jalloh—without fear of being hunted down for their family’s past. But her past trauma, coupled with the rising threats from those seeking revenge for her mother’s involvement in FGM, made life in the U.S. an absolute necessity. Her children were also at risk of being victimized by the very practices that had torn their mother’s life apart.
The Harrowing Reality of Trauma
Haja’s personal history is marked by constant fear, physical violence, and emotional scars. She carries a significant scar on her left leg from a gunshot wound during the war, and it is a daily reminder of the horrors she endured. Her mother’s murder, which occurred between October 1992 and December 1993, was a pivotal moment in her life—one that continues to haunt her, even after all these years. Living through the war meant Haja and her family were often forced to eat lizards, toads, and wild fruits to survive.
These traumatic experiences have had a profound effect on Haja’s mental health. Haja suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which has been diagnosed and treated by Dr. Jeffrey Baker, a clinical psychologist in Cincinnati. Despite her treatment, Haja remains vulnerable to the trauma of her past, especially the prospect of returning to Sierra Leone where her memories of the war and the threats to her daughters remain alive.
The Risk to the Jalloh Children: A Fight for Their Safety
In addition to the psychological dangers that Haja faces, her daughters are at serious risk of being forced into FGM should they return to Sierra Leone. The women and girls seeking revenge for Haja’s mother’s actions still view Haja’s daughters as rightful victims of their mother’s crimes, despite the years that have passed since Jellyfarma Kuyateh’s death. These girls, now grown, are still waiting for a chance to retaliate against the Jalloh family. Fatmata, who fled Sierra Leone at only six months old, and Hawa Cathy, who was born in the U.S., face the horrific possibility of genital mutilation if they are ever returned to Sierra Leone.
This alone is a legitimate reason to prevent Haja’s family from being deported. The psychological and physical harm that would come to her daughters is irreparable and should not be allowed to happen in the name of justice or cultural revenge.
Support from the U.S. for the Jalloh Family’s Safety
The Jalloh family has faced a series of adversities since arriving in the U.S. They have been targeted in violent crimes, including a carjacking in Cincinnati where Haja’s eldest son, Amadu Jalloh, was threatened at gunpoint. This incident was reported to the police, who were able to recover their stolen vehicle, but the emotional toll on the family was immense. Later, the family faced yet another traumatic attack when armed individuals came to their residence, claiming to be seeking the carjackers. The police responded swiftly, apprehending the attackers and securing the family’s safety once again.
Additionally, Mohamed Jim Jalloh, the American-born son of Haja, was diagnosed with a brain tumor after a terrible car accident in Kansas City. The family has worked tirelessly to ensure his treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he has received care that has significantly improved his prognosis. To take Mohamed Jim back to Sierra Leone—where medical care is limited and where he would not receive the life-saving treatment he needs—would be an act of cruelty.
A Strong Case for Asylum
The Jalloh family has suffered enough. They have faced the brutality of civil war, the horrors of forced initiation practices, and personal violence in both Sierra Leone and the U.S. They have done nothing but survive and seek a better life for themselves. Forcing them to return to Sierra Leone would be a death sentence, both figuratively and literally. Haja’s daughters would be subjected to the same fate that Haja’s mother once inflicted on others, and Haja herself would be unable to escape the emotional scars that continue to plague her.
Haja’s husband, who served in the UN for 22 years, narrowly escaped death during an attack on a UN camp in africa’s red hit conflict zone of darfur, surviving a car jack and armed abduction. This family has already lived through far too much, and they deserve the opportunity to live without fear in the United States. Haja has been receiving ongoing psychological treatment, her son Mohamed is receiving the care (from Cincinnati Childrens hospital) he needs, and her daughters have a better chance at a life free from the horrors from orchestrated and planned genital mutilation in the U.S.
Conclusion: The Call for Justice
As the Jalloh family prepares for their asylum hearing in May , 2025, we urge the court to consider the immense suffering and danger that this family has already endured. The risks to their safety, dignity, and mental well-being are too great to ignore. We ask for justice, not just for Haja, but for her children, who deserve to grow up free from the threats that have plagued their mother’s life. The Jalloh family should be allowed to remain in the U.S. and continue their healing process in a safe environment, far from the memories and dangers that would await them should they be forced to return to Sierra Leone.
To deny the Jalloh family asylum would not only be a miscarriage of justice but a betrayal of the values that the United States upholds—protection for the persecuted, refuge for the vulnerable, and compassion for those fleeing unspeakable harm. Haja Saran Jalloh and her children represent the very individuals U.S. asylum laws were designed to protect: survivors of war, victims of gender-based violence, and families seeking safety from generational cycles of trauma. With credible threats to their lives, documented medical and psychological conditions, and deep community ties in the U.S., this family’s right to remain is not just lawful—it is morally imperative. Granting them immediate asylum is a matter of life, dignity, and justice.
Their story is one of survival, perseverance, and hope. Denying them asylum would be a grave injustice—one that ignores the very real threats to their safety, the ongoing trauma they face, and their fundamental right to live in peace. We stand with the Jalloh family in their fight for asylum and a future free from fear
