9 As Oscar’s understanding of the Dos Erres massacre has grown, he has become a key figure in ongoing efforts to prosecute surviving war criminals. His DNA evidence and live testimony have been critical to continuing prosecutions, and he and his family would be the target of death threats, or worse, if he were forced to return to Guatemala. AteamincludingProBonoChairSueFineganandformerMintzLevinattorneysJamieArterton and John Koss agreed to co-counsel with the New York attorney to provide Oscar and his wife with representation. Meeting frequently with Oscar, Mintz Levin’s attorneys worked to understand his story, complete his application, and prepare him for his important interview with an asylum officer. The case also required them to resolve legal complications related to the time that Oscar had spent in the United States. Knowing how critical it was for Oscar to communicate the gravity of his situation clearly and persuasively to his asylum officer, the Mintz Levin team spent numerous hours helping him prepare. By then, attorneys Martha Koster and Jonathan Ursprung as well as former Mintz Levin attorneys Marisa Howe and Marbree Sullivan had joined Sue, Jamie, and John to work on the project. In late 2012, Oscar and his wife received the good news that they’d been granted asylum. In the interim, Oscar has continued to support efforts to bring the remaining Kaibiles leaders to justice. In Guatemala, five former soldiers have been sentenced to lengthy terms for their roles in the massacre. In the United States, which supported Guatemala’s military during the country’s civil war, ex-Kaibiles who lied on their immigration applications have been convicted of fraud. Before sentencing a former officer to the maximum 10-year sentence for immigration fraud in February 2014, a US federal judge heard a victim impact statement from Oscar, who asked the judge to consider the pain the man had caused the victims, including Oscar’s mother and siblings, his bereaved father, and Oscar himself, who was denied the opportunity to grow up with his family. Today seven known former Kaibiles soldiers associated with the massacre remain at large. In Guatemala, old divisions are still apparent, and the government, whose president is a former military leader, hasn’t consistently backed efforts to pursue justice. To date, the Dos Erres atrocity remains the only civil war crime for which participants have been convicted. Back in Massachusetts, immigration attorneys Michele Frangella and Cassie Ramos and legal assistant Dayan Tabares recently worked to secure green cards for Oscar and his wife, and those cards have now been approved. Oscar is still coming to terms with his complex history, but he is pleased that he has been able to speak for so many victims who can no longer speak on their own behalf. His family, now including four children, still gathers for holiday celebrations with the Mintz Levin team. Hidden Roots Revealed continued