A gay Jamaican man who feared persecution if forced to leave the United States for his home country was granted asylum Thursday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“I am grateful to the United States government for saving my life,” Ven Messam said in a statement released by the Columbia Law School's Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic, which assisted him with his case. “My life in Jamaica was constantly in danger, with angry mobs carrying machetes, stones, knives, and guns, threatening to kill me because I am gay. When I tried to contact the police for help, the police instead threatened to arrest me and told me to leave the country if I wanted to stay safe.”

Messam was referred to the clinic by Immigration Equality, a national organization that works for immigration rights for LGBT people who show need for assistance.

Four of the program's eight law students -- Simrin Parmar, Jennifer Stark, Jonathan Lieberman, and Eileen Plaza -- have spent months providing legal assistance and research for Messam's asylum application.