more questions asked of almost every applicant

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Tell me about your International Travel again! Can you tell me your history twice in a row, and say it the same? A test!

Why did he threaten you?

Why did he dislike your activities?

What did the bad guys think about you?

How did the bad guys see you? How do you know what they were thinking?

How does getting a telephone threat harm you?

Did anyone else in your family suffer harm?

How many times were you threatened over the phone?

How many times were you threatened in person, or face-to-face?

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How did you condemn the bad guys?

Where did you condemn them? How did the bad guys find out about you?

Your photo was in newspaper? Did anyone see it? Did they write a letter?

How did you first get interested in that political party?

Was there any harm to your son? Why not?

Did you express your political opinions here in USA?

Did you exercise your religion, here in USA?

Is “internal relocation” possible?

Did you report the event to the police? Why not?

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If  you return to your country, how would the bad guys know?

Did you ever have any military training? Did you ever shoot a gun/

Were you ever offered immigration status in any of the foreign countries you visited?

Did you ever give support to a “terrorist organization”?

MIITARY SERVICE

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

DS-160

Ever hold a rifle in your hands?

Were you ever forced to give support to an organization that the USA says is a “terrorist organization”?

Ever help someone else to give support?

Ever lie or give false info to US government?

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Is there anything else?  Yes. What?

Is there anything else?

questions asked of almost every applicant

Questions asked of an activist 6/16/17 by Asylum Officer

Show me your passport!

Who helped you prepare I-589? How did you meet your attorney?

Who referred you to him? You met with him how many times?

Was  your application read back to  you in your language?

How did you write your statement? Did  you write it, or someone else?

Is it the story of someone else, or is it really your statement?

Who helped you write it?

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How many times have you applied for a tourist/student visa?

What is your history with the Dept of State?

How did you apply for it?  Fill out a form, in pen, hand-deliver paper to the Embassy?

Or, did someone sit at a computer, and type stuff with fingers, and apply on line?

Where was the computer? In living room of your son? At a public internet café?

Did anyone tell you what to say in the DS-160? Did you understand the questions?

Did  you do a FOIA request to DOS to get a copy? NO? but I have it, and you don’t?

Did you review the info you gave the embassy? How was the info delivered to the embassy

Did a “visa preparer” help you?

Did you review the info before you submitted it? Did you notice I asked the same question twice? Why is that, do you suppose?

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Tell me the birthdates of your wife, child #1, child #2, and Child #3

When did you last leave your country?

What was your last address?

Where have  your worked for the past 60 months? How did you answer this same question when requesting your visa?

Does “mistake” = “lie”?

You were too tired or busy or lazy to answer the questions on -589: so now you are giving different and more complete answers?

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Why did you depart from your country?

Why do you want asylum?

Tell me all of your international travel, for the past 35 years!

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What is your religion? What is your political opinion?

How did you express your opinion? How did you show your religion?

Did  you suffer any physical harm? Emotional harm? Why?

How did the bad guys know about you?

June 2016: what words did the bad guy say? What did you see with your eyes?

September 2016: what words did officer #1 say? What did you see with your own eyes?

[you may think the question is obvious or silly, but we need your answer for the record!]

activist from Egypt #2

-did you give food/$/ trash bags to the organization?

If someone videotaped you, what would the video show?  Pretend the video is played with no sound; all you can see is you. What are you doing in the video? Sitting on a chair? Walking on the sidewalk? On the street? On the grass?

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Why did you throw stones? Did you hit anyone?

Did you ever ask anyone else to throw stones?

Why did you protest/?

What did you see with your own eyes? What did you hear, with your own ears?

Why did the officer hit you?

Why did the officer shoot at you?

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You gave food to the men? Did any of the food go to men doing violence?

Did you give anything of value to them? Such as 50 cents, a cold drink, a ride in your taxi? Shelter, housing?

Ever help anyone, even if under duress?

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You departed from your country 3 years ago? In the last 3 years, did your brother suffer any harm? Your mother?  Any threats to them?

Has anyone asked about you, in the last 3 years? NO? so, the government has forgotten about you? You have done nothing in the past three years to bring yourself to the attention of your government?

If you return to your country, what would happen?

Is there anything else?

Is there anything else?

an activist from Egypt #1

Questions asked of an activist from Egypt

   Interview lasted 3 ½ hours; it started 2 ½ hours late

Show me your passport! You were able to re-new it?

Who helped you prepare your app? How did he help you? Did you prepare it first in French, and then translate into English? Was it read back to you in French?

Does your statement contain all of your harm? Really? All of it?

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Was your statement first prepared in French, or what? Did you write it, or did your lawyer?

When did you last depart from your country?

TELL ME ALL OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

For each country that you were in, what was your immigration status?

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Tell me about all the jobs you have ever held, beginning 23 years ago!who was your employer in 1984? Yes, that is 23 years ago; so what?

What was your job in 1990? In 1995?

What were you doing in 2003? Live where? Work where? Immigration status? Political activity? Why nothing?

TELL ME THE MONTH/YEAR/CITY!  If you say, “july 5^th,” then you are going to make me guess the year and the city?  You think I know what year you are talking about?

CAN YOU BE CHRONOLOGICAL?  GO FROM YEAR, TO THE NEXT YEAR, TO THE NEXT YEAR?

Who organized the protest?  The “X” party? Who are they? Are they 100% non-violent?

You “support” the X party? What does “support” mean?

-give $? Tell your friends it is a good organization? Ask friends to join it/

Attend meetings/rallies/demonstrations?  Ask your friends to give $?

What does “organize” mean?  Someone stands up, and tells people where to stand? Walk? Tells them what to say? Arranges for food and transport?

How did the protest come into existence? Who planned it? Where? When? How did you hear about it?

mistake = lie

Marouf v. Lynch,  811 F.3d 174 (6th Cir. 2016)

The Immigration Judge denied asylum to Mr. M:

1] M testified his nose was broken in 2007 when he was punched by an angry Muslim. 

     His wife wrote that it happened in 2006.

     His mother wrote that his nose was broken in an accident.

2] M testified that on the day of the attack, he saw 100 people in a mob outside of his house.

          He later testified that he was attacked by 40 people.

3] Injuries to his cousin: first, M said that cousin suffered a broken shoulder;

                       later, he said a broken arm;

                              still later, he said a broken hand.

an activist from Burundi #3

The asylum officer asked:
Tell me about money: who paid your salary? who paid for your plane tickets?
   Who paid money to your brother?
You say your government hates you, but they voluntarily pay you money?
Do you often pay money to someone you are angry at?
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How do you know if Smith received the money?
did you see it with your own eyes? did Smith tell you he got the money?
So, you don't know for sure, but you believe he got the money? Does anyone else believe he got the money?
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What did the president of your country say about your ethnic group?
How do you know he said that?
How would anyone know if you are a member of that ethnic group?
if someone knows your last name, he would assume something?
if someone heard you speak in the Swahili language, he would believe something?
if someone just looks at you, while you are silent, how would he know your ethnic group?
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you were in the military? tell me your complete employment history? did you shoot a grandmother because of her ethnic group?
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you say that Smith wanted to kill you? why didn't he? didn't you go to work at the same office day after day? you lived at the same house day after day? were you difficult to find?
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Why was the government angry at you, in December 2015?
How did you obtain the marriage certificate?
Is there anything else?
Is there anything else?

activist from Burundi #2

The asylum officer asked:
What words did the officer say to your brother?
How did your brother interpret, or understand, what he said?
Why did your brother believe those words are a threat?
If the threat is against  you, why was your brother afraid?
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Where was your brother, at the moment of the threat? standing in the street? sitting inside a restaurant?
Did anything bad happen to any member of your family? Tell me the month/year/city, who did the bad thing, and why
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PASSPORTS: I, asylum officer, love passports. They speak the truth. They are better witnesses than any person. Each stamp in the passport means what? the person is at an airport, or at a government office?
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Smith told you that Mr. Jones was angry?
Did you send a letter to Mr. Jones? really? did he receive it? how do you know if he did?
Did Jones send a letter to his boss? how do you know? where is the letter now?
Did you see it with your own eyes, or do you just believe, or think, Jones sent a letter?
What did Smith see with his own eyes? what did he hear with his own ears?
    If you do not know, why don't you just say that?  Why not say, "Well, I am not sure; I am not an eye-witness. However, I believe that happened. Other people believe it too."
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Did your boss have a reputation among the office workers?  Did most people in the office believe certain things about the boss? So, he had a "reputation"?
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is there anything that happened, that makes you believe  your government is still interested in you?
Is there anyone else, who agrees with you, that your government is still interested in you?
Why does that person believe that?