Teenagers Brian Petsch-Cabrera and Hever Escovar were badly abused by their fathers and left their Central American countries for the United States, crossing treacherous jungles and the Rio Grande.

Within months of their 18th birthday, the young men were almost certainly destined for deportation. But before the U.S. immigration system took control, they were scooped up by the Cuban American Bar Association Pro Bono Project in Miami.