“Asylum Anguish: Stories from the Border”

From left, Martin Kildare (at podium), Chris Mansa, Jalon Matthews, Anica Garcia-DeGraff, Malik Proctor and Fox Worth perform the stories of asylum seekers who were detained in Orange County as part of the staged reading, “Asylum Anguish: Stories from the Border.” The performance concluded with a display of the American flag.

Jennifer Lee Koh, a law professor and the director of the immigration clinic at Western State College of Law, speaks at “Asylum Anguish: Stories from the Border” at the St. Joseph Center in Orange on Feb. 10.

UC Irvine theater student Fox Worth delivers a staged reading of a story told by an asylum seeker who fled Ghana to the U.S. because he felt unsafe being gay in his home country.

UC Irvine acting students Chris Mansa, left, and Jalon Matthews, standing, perform at the “Asylum Anguish: Stories from the Border” staged reading. Mansa previously visited an immigration detainee from Togo in an Orange County jail and then performed a reading of his words.

Peggy Thompson is a member of the Friends of Orange County Detainees, the organization that organized “Asylum Anguish: Stories from the Border” at the St. Joseph Center in Orange on Feb. 10.

Malik Proctor, an acting student from UC Irvine, performs at “Asylum Anguish: Stories from the Border” at the St. Joseph Center in Orange on Feb. 10.

UC Irvine acting student Anica Garcia-DeGraff tells the story of a transgender Honduran who came to the U.S. seeking asylum after fleeing gang members.

Jennifer DeWitt, accompanied by guitarist Bobby Brennan, sings the Beatles’ “Blackbird” at the “Asylum Anguish: Stories from the Border” St. Joseph Center in Orange.