Abeba’s story is summarized only briefly in the document that seals her impending deportation: After she inadvertently witnessed an extrajudicial killing by members of the Ethiopian military, she was imprisoned and beaten for more than a week.

But that was only the beginning. Abeba — who asked to be called by a pseudonym due to safety concerns for herself and her family — fled Ethiopia and made her way to Mexico. She was planning to ask for protection in the United States. But by the time she made it to the banks of the Rio Grande, her options had narrowed.

President Donald Trump , on the day he was inaugurated for the second time, had declared that anyone trying to cross the southern border without prior authorization was part of an “invasion.” The order suspended their right to apply

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