Friday, November 19, 2010

do you have a strong political opinion?

Mr. Binrashed, from Yemen, arrived in USA in 1999. His father went to the UK. In the year 2002, the father helped found the "Southern Democratic Assembly". The father became an officer; his name and picture are displayed on the organization's website.

Mr. Binrashed applied for asylum in USA and was denied by the IJ, and the BIA. However, the 7th Circuit reversed and remanded, in 2007,in part because of the notoriety of the father.
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Mr. Binrashed left his country in 1999; eight years later, in the year 2007, was there evidence that his government was still interested in, or angry at, him?

The very public acts by the father benefited Mr. Rashed.
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[Why didn't Mr. Binrashed, the son, start his own organization in USA?]

Thursday, November 11, 2010

forced marriage in Cameroon #4

The Asylum Officer asked:
-what is your name, according to your passport? according to your visa?
where do you live in the USA? who else lives there?
What was your job in your country? where did you work? what did you sell?
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Why can't you return to your country?
Why do you fear your government?
Your husband is a member of the CDPM? what do those initials stand for?
Is polygamy legal in Cameroon?
What is the difference between "police" and "gendarmes"?
where were you, at the exact moment of your arrest? where was your husband?
what did the officers say?
who else was there, at the time? your friend John? how come John did not write a letter of support for you?
What else did they say?
Tell me the exact words they said!
Where did they take you?
what did they say at the police station?
what else did they say?
Why were you released? what was the conversation at the time of your release?
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what did you tell the US Embassy, to get your visa?
did you tell lies to get your visa? why? you say you had no choice?
Did you show your passport to the official at the airport? how come he did not arrest you?
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did your mother suffer any economic harm, recently?
did she suffer any emotional harm, recently?
Did the police make any threats to her? what exactly did the police say?
What else did they say?
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is there anything else? I see; OK, is there anything else?

applicant from Angola

The asylum officer asked:
-why were you so slow in applying for asylum?
-tell me the circumstances of your beating: where were you, exactly, at the time of the arrest?
-why can't you return to your country?
Tell me about each member of your famiy: where are they; what are they doing; you say your government hates you; why doesn't government hate each member of your family?
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what does UNITA stand for?
What is your ethnic group, or your tribe? do members of your tribe suffer economic harm?
Your brother was assaulted; did you report it to the police? why not?
what did brother tell you about his arrest?
Your mother was arrested? why? did she suffer emotional harm?
What did mother tell you about her arrest?
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where were you, at the time of your arrest?
what did the soldiers say to you?
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you went to a private school? how did you pay the tuition?
You say your father was recently attacked by the government? how do you know it was the government? you say your father was not robbed? so, therefore, what motive might the bad guys have had?
-is there anything else? what?
Is there anything else?

Monday, November 8, 2010

comments by Supervisory Asylum Officer

At a seminar, a "Supervisory Asylum Officer" offered these suggestions:

-yes, we love passports, because inside, are dates!
-applicant: know your passport! are there some stamps which are missing? did you travel somewhere, but there is no stamp at that airport?
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men get raped in prison at times. Most men do not want to talk about that. so, ask the man in your office: "I have heard that men get raped in prison in your country. Is that true? did anything happen to you?"
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There are dates in the passport, in membership cards, in letters from doctors. Do those dates agree with the dates in your Declaration?
Do the documents agree with the Declaration?
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Maybe you went to the clinic in 2008 and saw Dr. Smith. Then, in the year 2010, you asked the clinic for documents; in that year, Dr. Jones wrote a letter about 2008. Why is the name "Dr. Jones" on the record for an event in 2008? Because Jones works there in 2010. Read the names of the doctor on the paper you have!
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The Asylum Officer wants info. Answer his questions! answer in detail! Answer his questions, even if you do not have any idea why he would be asking a question, that seems stupid to you.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

november 2010 activist from Cameroon #3

Still more questions:

-did any member of your family suffer emotional harm?
economic harm? social harm?
-Did any of your friends have problems?
In the last six months, has your wife had any problems?
How long were you at the clinic?
what did they do for you?
-clean your wounds, put on salve, put on bandages, give you medicine?
-did they give you a prescription? what advice did the doctor give you?
-did the doctor test your blood, your urine, blood pressure, X-ray?
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You left your country two years ago? they have forgotten about you?
Why would they target you, today? are you important?
Why would you be arrested/
In the last six months, have other journalists been arrested?
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your wife sent you a letter? where is the envelope? how did you get this letter?
Is there anything else?
In the last two months, how did you sleep at night?
Today, does your wife have a job? your father? does the government bother them?
If you return to your country, what would happen?
Assuming you return, and that you are not arrested at the airport, what would you do? Continue with political activities, or not?

november 2010 activist from Cameroon #2

More questions:

-inside prison, were you interrogated? what did they ask you?
how many times were you interrogated?
-on the day of your release, what happened? what was the conversation?
Where did you go? and then, after that, where did you go?
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Have you ever met Mr. Biya, face-to-face? what do you think of him?
Why did you stop printing your newspaper?
Why did the police hate your newspaper?
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what was the worst thing that happened to you?
-inside the prison cell, who else was there?
What else was there? beds? blankets? bucket for feces and urine?
Mosquitos?
did the other prisoners fight for water and food?
Did you see any blood? whose blood was it? where was the blood?
Some prisoners were smoking? where did they get cigarettes?
What thoughts went through your mind, when the guard called your name?
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how often did they let you out of the cell for fresh air and sunshine?
Do you think the government has a record of your arrest? of your detention in prison?
Why do you believe that?
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Have you engaged in any political activities here in USA?
when did you start your blog on blogspot.com?
What do you say in it?
Does any member of government read your blog?
how do you know?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

november 2010 activist from Cameroon

The Asylum officer asked these questions:
-do you have any relatives in USA?
-what work have you done for the past 5 years?
-does your wife work? your father? your mother?
-What reason did you give, to get your visa to come to USA?
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Why do you want asylum?
why would government hurt you?
You were arrested in August 2009? where were you, at the moment of your arrest?
Can you draw a picture of the scene? where were you standing, where was wife, where was the soldier?
Why were you arrested? what reason did they give?
What were you doing, right before the soldier came in?
who else was there? Mr. Elmo? why didn't he write a letter of support for you?
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where did they take you?
where exactly is the police station?
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you say you went to a rally in September 2009? how many people were there?
Why did you go to the rally?
why did the police go to the rally?
who organized the rally?
what day in September was it? on a Tuesday? Wednesday? the 15th? 16th?
why were you arrested?
how were you arrested? did the soldier touch you? how? where?
What did the officer say, as he arrested you?
what thoughts went through your mind, as he arrested you?
Please make a sketch: draw a picture of the scene
How many officers came inside? how many were outside?
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You were inside prison for six days? how would you describe your time there?

pro-democracy activist from Cameroon

The government lawyer asked these questions of the pro-democracy man from Cameroon:
1. Is your testimony today different from your I-589? why?
2. you say you went to a rally? how many people were there?
3. was anyone else arrested at the same time as you?
4. how long were you there, before you were arrested?
5. what did you say out loud to the soldier?
6. what did the soldier say to you? what language did he use?
7. how much money did you give to the SDF? 20,000 cfa? how much is that in US dollars?
8. where is the receipt for your money? why don't you have a receipt?
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9. In your I-589, you said the police came to your house in January? but you told your psychologist that the police came in February? why the difference?
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10. when was your passport issued? when was it re-newed? what other foreign countries did you travel to?
11. when was your visa issued? did you tell lies to get your visa? why?
12. your passport was issued in March, but you waited until September to ask for a visa? why? why not be faster?
13. Your government hurt you in June? why not flee immediately? you needed time to get money for your travel?
14. you left your country two years ago? your government has forgotten about you, correct? who says your government still cares about you? no one?