A New York lawyer, Mark Hsu, has everyone on Instagram and TikTok reaching for the tissues with a recent post. He shared a rare, fourteen-year update on a pro bono asylum case he did back in 2009. The lawyer, who shares his experiences on social media under the handle pleaseopenbook, documented the emotional journey of reuniting a family and seeing the young immigrant boy he helped bring to the United States graduate as a class president.
The story began back in 2009 when Hsu decided to take on a pro bono case for a gentleman from Guinea who had been granted political asylum after suffering persecution and torture in his home country. While the man was eventually able to bring his wife to the United States, their infant son, Souleymane, was not included on the initial petition. He told his viewers that “her baby’s name was not on the petition (an “after-born”) so he was not allowed to go with her.”
