Marveny Suchite lives with her American immigration sponsor in a bungalow here on a tree-lined street. A neighbor’s yard sign reads: “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor.” The 25-year-old from Guatemala takes English classes and gets bilingual children’s books from the library to learn even more. A daily highlight is walking her housemate’s cockapoo to the dog park, where, she says with a quick grin, the pet has some friends. She is cheerful about her new circumstances – except, as she explains, tearing up: “Two important pieces of my life are missing: My wife and my son.” Suchite left Guatemala last November in a hurry. She later told a U.S. asylum officer that flyers had been posted threatening her life because she’s a lesbian, according to the officer’s formal notes, reviewed by Reuters. Her mother warned her that people had come looking for her, Suchite told the officer, explaining they were “machistas” – men who are sexist. Suchite took off that day.