Background

Seltene Gabreselasie Gebertinsa celebrates his birthday on January 1. He was born in 1975 in south Eritrea, in east Africa, in a small village named Segeneiti, which is about 70 kilometers south of the capital city Asmara. He has one sister and five brothers. One brother was killed in the War of Liberation from Ethiopia in 1994. Seltene has a wife and two children. He was told that his wife and children would come to the US between six to eight months after his arival. He has been here for over two years and his wife and children are still not here.

 Journey

Conscripted in the army at age 18, Seltene worked for eleven years without pay. He could not support his family, so he left Eritrea in search of money to support his family.

He crossed Eritrea's boader into Sudan. From Sudan, Seltene crossed the deserts of Libya. Upon reaching the Mediterranean Sea, Seltene crossed the sea to the island of Malta. From Malta, with the help of the Refugee Commission, Seltene boarded an airplane to New York. After arriving in the United States, Seltene traveled to Las Vegas. From Las Vegas, Seltene moved to Logan, Utah to work for JBS meat packing company.

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...but my children, they are so small so I cannot take them out safely, so I don’t want to expose them in danger because they are too young.