Can Facebook bring Aya to America?

Photo: Humans of New York

We might well find out one of these days whether Facebook can force the U.S. to do something it doesn’t want to do: Let a refugee into the country it doesn’t think should be allowed in.

The story of Aya, a child of war who practiced her English by asking soldiers if they could help her, comes from Humans of New York, a Facebook site that made a name for itself by documenting the nameless individuals on the streets of New York. Of late, it has branched into relaying the stories of refugees.

HONY’s presentation is more like a Facebook version of the podcast, Serial: A complicated story best told in parts before the whole story is finished.

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Here’s an interview from Fareed Zakaria of CNN with Brandon Stanton, who created the Humans of New York site on Facebook, and Aya tells her story.

“I want to live in freedom and live where it’s safe,” she said. “I want to be proud of saying I have that country’s citizenship and, for sure, America is that dream.”

You’re going to want to watch the video.

(h/t: Patrick Collins)