Tuesday, July 22, 2014

denied for vague answers

The following answers annoyed the asylum officer: asylum was denied.

What were your political activities in your country?
     "I attended meetings."
What was discussed at the meetings?
    "human rights."
What do you mean?
    "you know, like unfairness."
What did you do?
    "I created party awareness"
= =
you say you suffered great harm, but you did not go to the doctor?
Why not flee immediately?  you say you were harmed in January; you did not depart your country until December?
Your government hates you? but it did not arrest you at the airport, as  you departed?

Thursday, July 3, 2014

woman from Saudi Arabia

The Asylum Officer asked this of the woman from Saudi Arabia:
-did anyone help you fill out this application?
can you repeat all the info on page 1 of I-589?  on page 4?
What is your political opinion?
How did you first become interested in this problem?
When did you first become active and involved?
you joined the group in 2008? why not join it in 2007?
how did you express  yourself?
why did you change from one activity to another?
=
Tell me about all of your international travel: when and why did you go to each country?
why weren't you arrested at the airport upon departure?
how were  you able to re-new  your passport?
you departed from your country, and then you voluntarily returned to it? why? weren't you afraid?
-why didn't  you flee from your "dangerous" country earlier?
why did n't you seek asylum earlier? you applied in the year 2014; why not apply in the year 2013?
What would happen if you return to your country?
Who is it, exactly, that you fear? do you fear more than one person?
How has your country treated other human rights activists?
you had problems in the capitol city; OK, so why not go live in city #2 or in city #3?
Where are the original documents?
is there anything else?

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

an activist from Togo was able to answer all of these questions from the Judge

1. YOUR FAMILY
where does husband live now, what does he do?
each brother and sister: live where, do what?
mother lives where, does what?
father, lives where, does what?
each of your children: live where, do what?
   Did any of these people suffer harm? please tell me what the harm was, and MONTH/YEAR/CITY

2. YOUR EDUCATION
did you get a bachelor's degree?
3. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
for the last ten years, what jobs have you held?
when you quit your last job, what did you tell your employer? [did you tell him you were going to depart from the country and seek asylum in the USA?  did you lie to your employer, as you departed?]
4. YOUR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
tell me about all of your travel to other countries:
   2003: went to Ghana for 6 weeks to visit friend    2004: went to DRC for two weeks on business
= =
5.  ARRESTS: HOW MANY TIMES WERE  YOU ARRESTED AND DETAINED?

6. YOUR FIRST ARREST
where were  you at the moment of your arrest? what time was it? what were you doing? who was with you?
You are marching on the street, chanting slogans and holding large signs?
   how did you travel to the protest?
what were you protesting? what was the basis of the protest?
    Soldeir #1 hit you, on the street? what was he wearing? what weapons did he have? what language did he speak? what words did he say?
-did  you suffer any harm, at his hands?
-at that time, were any of your friends close by, and saw what happened?
did that friend write a declaration for you? why not? did you ask that person?


a] travel from the street to the police building
        how did you travel? they put you in a truck?  did anyone hit you, during the travel?
were you abused during the travel?
b] at the police building
-what happened? were you hit?
what questions did they ask?
what were your injuries?
= = = =
DID YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PROBLEMS?
what were your injuries from 2007-2010?
from 2011-2012?

PASSPORT
how did you get your passport? did you have any problems getting it?
did you have to pay a bribe to get it? why did you want a passport?
-if your government was angry at you, why would it give you a passport?

VISA AT US EMBASSY
when did you get a visa? what day? what was the process? did you tell lies to get it?
-did you fill out DS-160, five pages long, and answer lots of questions?

DID YOU JOIN A POLITICAL PARTY?
name? what was its platform
did  you hold a leadership position?
what did you do, specifically? who did you talk to? where?
=
what was your last contact with your family?
what would happen if you return?