WASHINGTON — In March of 2019, news crews flooded Casa Ruby's shelter in Washington, D.C. upon the arrival of what was being called the LGBTQ+ caravan. Journalists all wanted to hear the testimonies of the 15 asylum seekers from Central America who had survived a month and a half of treacherous conditions to get to the United States.
Kate del Castillo was among the group that was released by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the bilingual D.C. nonprofit. She was living in San Pedro Sula, Honduras when she says death threats forced her to take the dangerous journey north.
"I would pass like a gay boy, because there, if you are a transgender person, it's a death sentence," Del Castillo said about her life in her home country.
Ruby Corado opened the nonprofit Casa Ruby in 2012 as a small drop-in center for LGBTQ+ youth. The organization grew to eventually provide shelter, transitional housing and social services.
Housing the members of the LGBTQ+ caravan was nothing new for Corado and her staff, but now the organization was also charged with assisting the newly arrived migrants with their asylum cases. Like all asylum seekers in the U.S., all 15 members would have to check in periodically with officials at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Del Castillo shared a photo we took outside the field office in Fairfax, Virginia during her first check-in shortly after her arrival.
After a brief conversation over the phone, del Castillo agreed to sit down for an interview at D.C.'s Meridian Hill Park. It had been five years since we had seen each other.
After telling her to wear whatever made her feel comfortable, she arrived in a red gown with high heels. Del Castillo says it is what she would wear every day if she could.
We reflected on her arrival to the nation's capital in 2019.
"My heart was like this, shriveled in fear, but when I came here I felt like it opened up," del Castillo said as she clenched her fists making the shape of a heart.
Since leaving Casa Ruby in 2020, del Castillo had not returned to the shelter along Georgia Avenue Northwest. We took a trip back to the building that remains unoccupied.
"It actually brings back a lot of memories. It transports me back to March of 2019 when I came to the United States, because this was my home," del Castillo said as she peered through the windows of the building.
We sat at Meridian Hill Park watching the WUSA9 news story that documents the caravan's arrival. Kate pointed out her short hair and gasped at her physical changes, but also recognized the emotional transformation she has undergone.
"Well in that moment I still did not clearly know what I wanted," she added.
Del Castillo says it was at Casa Ruby where she was able to find the confidence to come to terms with her identity as a transgender woman. She says it was the first place she was able to put on heels and a dress and walk down the street feeling that she could not be judged. Del Castillo says she would have never been able to live as her authentic self in Honduras.
In five years, del Castillo says she has been able achieve some goals that others spend a lifetime striving to obtain.
In 2023, she went from renting the living room of a home in Hyattsville, Md. to being the owner of that house.
Del Castillo works as the manager of an eatery in D.C., but has also made strides in her career as a model. She has walked the runway during events at New York Fashion week and has starred in two independent film series.
Last year, del Castillo was also granted asylum in the United States. According to USCIS data, more than 52,000 asylum cases were granted in 2023. Del Castillo was one out of 1,955 grantees from Honduras, according to federal immigration data.
"I am now the person that I always, always wanted to be, and I feel very blessed for all that I have achieved," del Castillo said.
As a former member of the shelter, del Castillo says the absence of Casa Ruby has left a huge void for the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans Latina women like her.
"It's really painful because I feel like members of the community are in limbo," she added.
Casa Ruby shuttered abruptly in July of 2022 at the same time that allegations of financial mismanagement surfaced. In August then, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine accused the nonprofit's Executive Director, Ruby Corado of fleeing the country with tens of thousands of dollars of nonprofit funds.
“Their executive director appears to have fled the country, withdrawn at least tens of thousands of dollars of nonprofit funds, and has failed to pay employees and vendors money they are rightfully owed," Racine said.
The Attorney General's Office filed a complaint against Corado in November 2022, which is still pending.
Corado has denied the allegations in the civil suit filed by the D.C. Attorney General's office.
In March, Corado was arrested by the FBI in a Laurel hotel, nearly two years after she fled the country. In a second case, federal prosecutors said Corado received more than a $1 million in taxpayer-backed emergency relief funds intended to support the Casa Ruby. At least $150,000 were funneled to her personal accounts according to prosecutors.
According to federal records, on July 17, Corado is expected to plea guilty to wire fraud after receiving a plea deal offer from federal prosecutors.