Jean Claude Alvarez, a recently arrived asylum seeker, joins the 8 O’Clock Buzz to recount his months long journey traveling from Venezuela, primarily on foot.  His arduous trek included a month long walk through the rain forest between Columbia and Panama and a crossing of the Rio Grande River.  Joining Jean Claude during the interview were Adriana Soto from Interpreter’s Cooperative of Madison, and Dennis Noonan from the Madison Catholic Worker group.  The Interpreter’s Cooperative provides services to help with the transition of non-native English speakers to our area, and the Catholic Worker group has recently purchased a single-family residence in Madison to provide transitional housing for recently arrived immigrants from Latin America.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

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