Mohamed Ba fled to the U.S. to seek asylum from his native Mauritania more than a year ago. Now, he's living in a Cincinnati suburb and waiting to hear about his asylum claim.
That wait has gotten more tense for Ba and others since President Donald Trump won the November election. During his first term in office, Trump deported about 175 Mauritanians, according to ICE data.
Human rights groups and the UN say Mauritania is brutally oppressive to its Black population and still has slavery in some rural areas.
That's why Ba wanted to come to the U.S. He says he experienced beatings and imprisonment as a Black person in Mauritania.
"Everybody comes here for safety," he says. "I came to the United States because I know this country respects everybody."
He said he wanted to do things the proper way. So after fleeing the west African country, Ba presented himself to Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the U.S. border, where he was detained.
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"I was in Texas for three months inside a jail," he says.
After his release, Ba left Texas for the northern suburbs of Cincinnati, where many other Mauritanian asylum seekers have settled.
He's working, living in a maze-like apartment complex with other Mauritanians, and awaiting a hearing on his claim.
'There are some real dangers here'
Ba sits cross-legged on the floor of his apartment. Several pairs of shoes are lined up at the door, and a roommate cooks in the small kitchen just off the living room. He's eager to be a good host, offering food and drink.
The Trump administration's immigration policies have him somewhat worried, he says. He's not the only one.
Samba Diallo fled Mauritania to settle in Lockland more than a year ago. He's a bit less nervous than he was a month ago because he's heard Trump is only deporting people convicted of crimes.
Diallo says he was imprisoned multiple times in his native country for protesting slavery and advocating for human rights. While in prison, he says he was beaten by guards. He's confident he can prove his asylum claims. But like Ba, he says he's still a little on edge.
"I'm worried, I'm worried," he says. "But he might send some of us back, but not all. Many of us have really strong proof [of need for asylum.] But Trump could do anything. We don't know."
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There are reasons for that worry. Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Edward Alden has been studying immigration policy for two decades. He says a number of factors could make asylum claims harder under Trump.
"There are some real dangers here," he says. "I don't think these people are home-free. Obviously you're not free because you might lose your court date. But I don't even think they can count on the procedures being the same as they were under the Biden administration or previous administrations."
This week, the ACLU sued the Trump administration over an executive order that effectively halted the U.S. from accepting asylum claims. Alden says the administration also has cut federal funding for legal providers who help asylum seekers in immigration court and fired top officials in the Department of Justice who oversaw its immigration activities. New immigration judges appointed by Trump going forward could also make asylum more challenging.
"I would not be surprised to see judges in the immigration court turn over in ways more favorable to the Trump administration," he says. "I think the Trump administration will do everything it can to put a hand on the wheel to get the courts to reject far more asylum claims."
What's next
Asylum seekers have received a mixed welcome in Greater Cincinnati. Many organizations and individuals have stepped up to help, but officials in Lockland, where Diallo settled, last year raised alarms after hundreds of Mauritanians came to the community in a span of months. There are concerns about crowded housing and overstressed public services.
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Diallo applied for and received a work permit in the fall and now works for a company manufacturing computer components.
Diallo's final asylum hearing is scheduled for August, and as far as he knows, it's still on the books. In the meantime, he periodically checks in with ICE, as required, though he hasn't yet had his first appointment since Trump took office.
In the meantime, he says he's trying to stave off worry by focusing on his asylum claim.
"I want to build the good life," he says. "Safety, freedom. Like, American life. Work hard sometimes, live with my wife, my kids, my friends."