activist from Cameroon loses

Mr. Bassenguen, from Cameroon, was denied asylum by the Judge and by the BIA, because: 1]after he was arrested, imprisoned, and released in 2002, he departed from his country, and then, he voluntarily returned! If your country is so dangerous, and your government hates you so much, why did you return there voluntarily? And by the way, upon your return, you were ignored? No one arrested you? They did not care about you? = So, that is what would happen if you return again, tomorrow, wouldn't it? [i.e., no one cares if you return or not? Your government does not care what you do or do not do, correct?] = 2] he testified he was arrested again in 2004. His friend wrote a letter, saying that the arrest was in 2005! Who is the moron, the client or the friend? 3] he testified he was an active member of the SDF here in the USA, and that he attended lots of meetings in the year 2009. He asked Mr. Kuissu to be a witness in court. Mr. Kuissu said that he, Kuissu, was active in SDF meetings in the year 2009, but he never saw Bassenguen at meetings, and he did not believe that Massenguen was a member of SDF. = Who is the moron, Mr. Kuissu, or Bassenguen? What did the Judge think when presented with this spectacle? = What is the moral of the story? 1] if you were arrested in 2004, find a friend who agrees with you about the year. 2] if you think you were active in meetings in the USA, find a friend who agrees with you. If you are a lawyer reading this, what do you learn? 1] some clients are not very smart 2] some clients are too busy to read letters, or talk to witnesses, before coming to court

questions for an activist from Cameroon

The Asylum Officer asked: 1] show me your passport! when was it issued; when does it expire; where and when did you travel? 2] why are you seeking asylum? 3]why did you join your political party? what is its platform? what are its goals? 4] what did you do at meetings, besides just sit in a chair, in silence? a] did you discuss alternatives for time and place of demonstrations? b] did you discuss and debate alternatives for fund-raising methods? = 5] tell me about the last three months you lived in your country. Where did you sleep, and travel, each day and nnight? 6] how did you get your visa? did you tell lies to get it? did you fill out a form, and answer questions in writing? I have a copy of your application for your visa, but you don't? I know more than you do about what happened? = how did you get your passport? how did you get out of your country? how come no one arrested you at the airport as you were leaving? How did you get your F-1 visa? = Is there anything else?

lady from Togo denied asylum

Ms. Djondo, from Togo, was denied asylum because: 1] she said she was in a protest march on February 20, 2005; but really, it was on Feb. 27th. The Department of State said the march was on the 27th; how come Ms. Djondo did not know that? Why did she insist on a particular date? She could have said, "toward the end of February." There is no need to give a particular date. 2] she said she went to the house of her cousin, and then the cousin took her to the hospital. The letter from the cousin did not mention the hospital. 3] she said she was a member of a political party, and that she was harmed, and was hospitalized. The letter from the party said she was a member, but nothing about harm. 4] She had no records from the hospital, and she did not explain what her efforts were, to get records. MORAL OF THE STORY: -avoid particular dates -make sure any letters of support are consistent - try hard to get hospital records