questons asked of a victim of domestic violence

Tell me about your int’l travel

Where does each member of your family live?

Why is child #2 in danger?

How often does X, the bad guy, make threats?

Is X still angry at you? Maybe now he has forgotten about you

Why is he still angry

X believed that government was angry? Why did he believe that?

Why did the man hit you?

What kind of threats did he make? What words did he say, and in what language?

   How did you interpret those words?

Is there a difference between a direct threat and an indirect threat?

=

How were you able to escape?

Did you report this to the police? Why not?

  What happened to other people who reported to the police?

Who helped you prepare the visa application? Does it contain lies?

Why did the uncle hit you?

Why does he feel that way?

Do you know any other similarly-sitauted persons?

Do you know anyone who was killed?

Who are the bad guys? Just X, or also is it members of his family?

What is your ethnic group? What is your particular social group?

Is X capable of killing you?

If you return to your country, how wd X find out?

Isn’t there somewhere in your country where you could be safe?

activist from Uganda, part 2

= =

When did you fill out DS-160? Who helped you get documents needed for it? Did you pay $ to anyone for anything?

Did you review the app before it was submitted?

What was your intent at that time?

What happened at your face-to-face interview? What questions were asked?

   On DS-160, does it ask: “were you ever arrested?  What is name and address of employer?   Are you a member of any groups? Your international travel?

People do DS-160 by sitting at a computer?

Your DS-160 gives a different address?

9:44 am “my research said FDC was founded in 2004, not 2005?

Is there anything else?

Did you ever get a job with gov’t? but I thought the gov’t hated  you?

Did you ever give false info to USA?

activist from Uganda

The asylum officer asked:

 How was the declaration prepared? Who filled out DS-160? Is everything in it true? Did you review it before filing? Was it accurate?

Does DS-160 ask about international travel? Why?

Why are you seeking asylum?

Why would gov’t hurt you?

What is your political affiliation?

Why did you join the opposition party in 2008, instead of in 2009?

What values did you share with that party?

How often did you participate? What did you do? Sit in a chair in silence?

Did you listen to others discuss alternatives?

What resonated with you, about the party?

The FDC promotes what?

Did the FDC ever produce or write a tract? What did it say?

= = =

Did you suffer any physical harm in your country?

What did the bad guy say? What language was he speaking?

You went to a job interview, and in the middle, they started speaking their own language?

What was your job at the FDC? Where did you do things? In an office?

On the sidewalk? At a local school? Under a tree?

What did you do, between 2007 and 2010?

Where were you at the moment of your first arrest?

How did you get released?

You went to a political meeting in 2011? What ideas were discussed? What was debated? What alternatives were proposed?

How did you get this document from the hospital? Are words mis-spelled on it? Is the font different, from one line to another

=

Tell me about one meeting you went to in 2013? What ideas were discussed or debated? Were any votes taken?

Why do you believe the officer hit you?

Where were you, at the moment of your second arrest? Why were you arrested? What did guard #1 say? What did guard #2 say?

Where is the original police letter?

= =

an activist from Congo-Kinshasa

The asylum officer asked:
    How was your statement prepared?
can  you repeat page one of I-589?
when did you last leave your country? your last address there?
your most recent education? your most recent job?
right now, where is each member of your family?
why didn't each one write a letter of suppport for you?
Why are  you seeking asylum?  who specifically do you fear?
=
where were you, at the moment of your arrest?
what happened at the meetng? did you sit in a chair in silence? did anyone debate altermatives?
Who organized the meeting? how did he do that?
was there a written agenda? who attended the meeting?
where was it held? what kind of building?
How were people notified about the meeting? isn't there a danger that spies or infiltrators would attend the meetnig?
How did  you first meet John?
Why did you decide to join the party? what is the platform of the party? is the platform in writing?
= =
were you a member of a group? what was the process to join it? why did you jon?
What did police say, upon arrival? they spoke in what language?
did they have any weapons?
any threats by the police?
how did you get released? what happened on the day of your release?
How did they beat you? how did he kick you?
Tell me all the details! why can't y ou tell me any more details? were you really there?
what did the guard say as he hit you?
You lived in Kenya for 3 years? why not apply for asylum there?
does your country have a treaty with Kenya? "I did my own research; there is no treaty
if you return, what would happen?
the letter from the Kenya university is fake? I did my own research, and the website has different phone numbers?
=
ever do any favors for a gang, even if under duress
When was last time Gov't asked about you?
you have two borthers here in USA and neithere one wrote a letter?

activist from Sierra Leone #2

More questions from the asylum officer:
Are you willing to return to your country? why not?
who do you fear in particular?
   is there any other reason?
Why is your Uncle angry at you? does he have any other reason?
My own research informed me that your ethnic group does not do FGM. What does that mean?
Now, in August 2018, what is the situation in your country?
A member of Parliament recently said he would end FGM?
The police do arrest Soweis from time to time, correct?
= =
do you have a photocopy of your passport?
why did you join that group?
Why does Smith hate you?
Did you tell lies to get your visa?
Why are you asking for asylum?
is there any other reason?
tell me all of your harm!   was there any other harm?
Did you even ask the police to protect you? why not?
Does anyone know you opposed your government in public?
why didn't they write a letter of support?
I did some research of my own. Do I know more about your country than you do?
If that is true, is that embarrassing

anti-FGM activist from Sierra Leone

The asylum officer asked:
show me your passport!
How did you prepare your statement?
Did you tell the truth when you filled out your visa application? did  you file it yourself?
How did you get your government job?
Do you have problems, remembering things in the past?
When did you first come to USA? Tell me all of your international travel!
=
did you ever return to your "dangerous" country? why?
you went to a doctor in Maryland? why? how did  you get there?
Where are the originals of all documents?
=
Why are you asking for asylum? is there any other reason?
Why would the government harm you?
Why would anyone care if you criticized?
Is anyone else angry at you?
Did you suffer any other harm?
Did you report the beating to the police? why not?
Can't the government protect you?
=
have you opposed FGM in public? do you have any proof?
Did anyone notice that you opposed FGM? how do you know what they know?
Why didn't someone write a letter of support, saying that they read your comments on Facebook?
What organizations did you join in USA? why did you join them?
What else have you done in public?
What is the worst thing that h appened to you?

an activist from Iraq

the asylum officer asked:
 why did you come to USA?
what militias were you afraid of
why are you opposed to them?
how do they know you are opposed to them?
how and where did you express your opinions?
why were your colleagues targeted?
which militias controlled which cities, or parts of cities?
did  you report the event to the police? why not?
how did they know you were living in city #2?
what violence are you against?
how would militias know that you oppose this violence?
To whom have you expressed your views? where did you express it?
can you give me an example: who were you talking to, and what did you say?
=
do you have any records from a doctor or clinic for your "large" injuries?
why was your brother kidnapped? how was he released?
if brother received a threat, tell me the words of the threat
did he receive a "direct" threat? or just indirect threats?
what would happen if you return to your country?
your parents came to see you here in USA, and then they returned to the "dangerous" country?
Is there anywhere in Iraq where you could live safely?
how would a militia know if you were Sunni or Shia?
   does your I.D. card reveal this? does your last name reveal this?

an activist from china

The asylum officer asked:
\   show me your passport! I want to study it in silence, while you sit there
Who do you live with, here in USA? do you pay rent? how do you pay it? you have a job? NO? really? if no job, how do you pay rent?
how much cash did you arrive with, upon entry to USA? did you declare it?
tell me the Date of Birth of child #1?  child #2? child #3?
  is it difficult to have three kids in China?
Page 4 has errors? So, we should spend a lot of time on that, instead of how you suffered harm?
Where did you sleep at night, for the past 60 months?  if you say one thing on I-589, and something else today, then we will spend a lot of time on that.  this will tire us out, and we will not have the strength to discuss how you suffered harm?
= =
Why are you afraid to return?
what is your political opinion?
Why does your government care about your foreign travel?
Why does the USA care about your foreign travel?
can Nelson Mandela get asylum in the USA?
Did you have any difficulty getting education/jobs/housing/passports?
Why are passports so interesting to asylum officers?
   do the stamps in them reveal very interesting and important info?
were you ever charged with a crime?
Why did you go to Ukraine? what did you do there?
Why go to Iran? what did you do there? tell me the name of the hotel in Tehran where you stayed?
= =
what is "material support? according to US law? does it include giving just one dollar to someone like Nelson Mandela? 
-does it include giving just one dollar to a "Nelson Mandela" person, at a checkpoint, who pointed a gun at you?
You have been gone from your country for a long time. They have forgotten about you, correct? So, if you return, nothing would happen, correct?
When you departed from your country, you showed the man your passport; but he did not arrest you, correct? so, if you see him again, at the airport, what are you worried about?
Did you ever engage in activities to undermine your government?
did you "weaken"  your government in any way?

Ethiopian activist #2

the Immigration Judge asked:
   Why did the officer hit you?
    why did he look for  your brother?
what is Form DS-160?  it is your visa application?
Why did you depart from your country?
why weren't you arrested at the airport?
   did the police station give info about you to the airport?   
       If so, did the man at the airport read it?
Who did you travel with?
Tell me all of your international travel!
What happened at the Ethiopian airport when you departed?
where did the airplane go? what happened upon arrival at US airport?
You lied upon arrival at US airport?
Why did your government allow you to depart?
you were a member of a political party in your country?
    what is that party doing today? are any of its members in prison? why are they in prison?
What are your activities here in USA?  does your government know what you are doing, here in USA?  how do you know if they are watching you?
Today, where does each sister, and each brother live?
did you ever support the Oromo Liberation Front?
= =
Your government has forgotten about  you, yes?
Why are they still angry at you?
did you ever give assistance to a "terror" organization? even just one dollar?

an activist from Ethiopia #1

The Immigration Judge asked these questions:
   show me your original passport!
how were you admitted into the USA?
how did  you get your visa?
you filled out an application? it asked you "what is your intended length of stay in USA?"
   -you said "I will stay just for a short time?"  you lied?  you did not stay a short time, did you?
   The application also asked if you had ever been arrested? you said NO? you lied again?!
I, the Judge, have a copy of this application, but you don't?  I know more about you, than you do?
    Is this embarrassing to you?
= =
    your government hates protesters, but  you protested anyway, in your country?
weren't you afraid you would get arrested?
Isn't it a risk to openly express your views?
were you surprised when you were later arrested?
were you surprised that the government found out what you were doing?
    I thought you said you protested openly; OK, so the government saw you?
= =
your father wrote a letter of support? he wrote down the wrong dates? you were too busy to actually read his letter, before giving it to the Court?
   The Court spent more time reading the letter, than you did?
= = =
your uncle wrote a letter of support for you? but he also got some dates wrong? why is that?
The Courr carefully read uncle's letter, but you did not ? you are now surprised, right now, sitting in court that you realize Uncle's letter has problems?
= = =
where is the orginal of the letter?
where is your passport?   it expired? did you try to re-new it?
= = =
a young man, age 25  perhaps, muscular, not wearing glasses, talked to you? who did he work for?
What did you believe about him? why did you believe that?
= =
you say you were severely injured in prison? so, why didn't you go see a doctor?
Did any members of your family have problems in the past 2 years?
   your father? mother? sister #2?  sister #3?
       they are the same ethnic group as you? how come they are not dead or in prison?
= = =
to get your visa, someone filled out the application online?
   that application asked you: "have you traveled to any countries in the past five years?"
      that application asked "were you a member of an organization, that according to the Dept of State, is a terror organization?
     that application asked if you gave "material support" to an organization?
you don't know what "material support" means, do you? if you don't know what it means, why do you answer the question so quickly?
    did  you ever pay $1 at a checkpoint?

victim of domestic violence from Nigeria

The asylum officer asked:
    -show me passport!
did anyone help you prepare your application?
how many times did you meet with your lawyer?
when did  you last leave your country?

when enter USA?
tell me about all of your international travel!
did you return to your dangerous country, voluntarily?
where else did you live in your country, for the past 10 years?
why is page 4 incomplete? you were too busy to make page 4 of I-589 perfect?
=
how did you write your declaration? how many times did you meet with your lawyer to improve it?
=
why are you applying for asylum?
whom do you fear?
what was the worst thing that happened to you?
why did he do that?
why did your partner hit you?
why was he angry?
what words did he say?
what else did he say?
what did he want?
Why did the man hit y ou?
did you ever go to the police?
if  you return to your country, what exactly do you fear?
your sister thinks what?
what did he say, recently?
What did he write in the letter?
what exactly was the threat?
did your husband abuse anyone else?
why are you, you personally, the object of his anger?
COLOR PHOTOS ARE NICE!
ever pay $ at a checkpoint?
ever give false info to US gov't?
at the time of your entry into USA< you traveled with whom?
at the time of your second, you traveled with whom?
ever go to a doctor, after your beating?
    why not?
how does all this affect you, today?
is there anything else?

an activist from China

the asylum officer asked:
-show me your passport!
what is your ethnic group? religion? can you repeat page one of I-589?
can you repeat page 4 of I-589?
Whom do you fear?
when did government first start to harass you?
why did you join the X party? why did you decide to join in 2014, but not 2103?
-during your first detention, what did officer #1 say to you? what questions did he ask?
-after your release, why didn't you go to the doctor?
Where were you at the moment of your arrest?
   what did officer #1 ask? officer #2?
the government is angry at you, because of  your political opinion?
    why else are they angry? due to your religion? family?
OK, we are done here. Is there anything else? really? what?
=
do  you know any similarly-situated persons?
-did you ever provide even one dollar, even if under duress, to a "terror organization"?
is there anything else?

an activist from Ethiopia

The asylum officer asked:
   did anyone help you prepare your written statement? how did he help you? How did you meet your attorney?
-can you repeat everything on page 1? page 2? page 4? what was  your last address?
DS-160: how did you get your tourist visa? did you tell lies, or not? you were asked if you had ever been arrested? your intended length of stay in US? who was paying for your trip? had you ever used any other names?
-why do you want asylum?
-why did you join the XYZ party? why did you join September 2016 but not in August?
    What was your role in the party? what did you do? if some one took of video of you, in your normal day, what would be recorded?  you walk into building, sit in chair, open computer, send emails?  make phone calls from your desk    /  walk on the sidewalk?
= = =
why join this group, and not another?
did you suffer harm because of your ethnic group?  was it emotional harm or physical harm?
=
where were you, at the moment of your arrest? why were you arrested?
what questions did the officer ask? what were their weapons? where on your body did they hit you?
what did the police say? were they interested at all in your ethnic group? your religion
How were  you released?
what did you do, the day you were released?
How come you did not go to hospital, if you were so injured?
=
how were  you active, as a student? what did you do? what would a video cam record, if it followed you around for one day?
Why continue to be active in a group, if it means great danger for you?
why would you risk your life for others/
Was anyone in your family threatened?
=
what do you do in the USA? no political activiites? why not?
tell me all of your international travel
why did you lie on Form DS-160?
is there anything else?

an activist from Burma

the Immigration Judge asked these questions of an activist from Burma:
   What were you protesting about?
 Why did you protest?
were you a member of any group or party?
who organized the protest?
there were 2,000 people at the protest? you think the government knows that you, in particular, protested?
-you departed from your country 4 years ago? your govenment has forgotten about you? why do you think  your government is still interested in you, today?
= = =
How would anyone know if you returned to Burma?
Today, there is democracy in Burma?   if so, why do people protest?
= =
You are angry at your government? why? what does your government do, that is bad?
-do high-ranking officials steal money, and buy fancy cars, instead of building roads or schools?
-your government ignores complaints, such as no roads, no schools, no hospitals?
Why does the government arrest protesters?

activist from Syria [part 3]

the asylum officer, continues, [2 hours, 40 minutes of non-stop questions:\]
   you joined the XYS party? why? what is its mission? what are its strategies? what did  you do, besides sitting on a chair at a meeting, listening to other people talk?
-you joined in the year 2015? why not in 2014? why not in 2016?
Did your support for that party get you into trouble? how did anyone know you were a member of that party?
Mr. Mustafa was angry at you? why? did he make any direct threats? any indirect threats? any implied threats?
When did the USA give  you a visa? you told some lies to get the visa?Do you know any similarly-situated persons who were treated the same as you?
= = =
what would happen, if you return to your country? Why would your government hurt you?
How have you expressed your political opinion, recently?
at the protest, did you engage in any violence? did you encourage anyone else to be violent? were some of the p eople near you, violent?
Is your government still interested in you? why do you think that? has something happened, recently, to make you feel afraid? any threats to anyone in your family?
Your mother lives in your country? the last time the police talked to her was how many months ago?
Who else do you fear, other than your government?
Do you fear the FSA? why? when was the last time they threatened you?
What does "particular social group" mean? why did you check that box on the 589?
Do you fear anyone else?
Is there anything else to say, on that subject? YES? what?
you had problems in City #1? so, why not live in City #2?
If you return to your country, how would your government know?
Have you had any problems, after  you have been living in USA? did y ou receive any threats, since living in USA?
Does anyone read y our Facebook page? how do you know?
If Mr. X threatens you, how do you know he works for your government?
What have your activities been in the USA?
TELL ME AGAIN ABOUT ALL OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL; TELL ME YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS IN EACH COUNTRY
-where did you layover, en route to USA?
ever been stopped by police in your country? ever have to pay them a bribe?
ever been stopped by police in USA? WHY?
ever give food to an armged group?
ever give false info to US government?
is there anything else? have we covered everything? is there anything else?
[this interview lasted 4 hours and 50 minutes]

activist from Syria ]part two]

The asylum officer has all the time in the world, will work through lunch, and not even go to the bathroom as she continues to ask tedious questions:
-were there riots in Qamishlin 2004? did the people use violence against the police?
THE PROTEST IN JUNE 2010: did  you really go to it, or not? who organized it? how did you hear about it? what did you do at it? you stood on the street? you walked? did you carry a placard? did you chant any slogans? what was your advance knowledge of it?
    what was being protested? was there any violence? some people threw rocks and sticks? some of the people were armed?
    after the soldiers shot at you, you fought back? you used violence, in self-defense? did you suffer any physical injuries? any emotional injuries? how were you able to escape?
Who imprisoned your sister? how was she released? why was she arrested?
= = =
Tell me about your international travel: you arrived at an airport? you drove a car, and stopped at a checkpoint? you had to pay a small bribe at the checkpoint?
   at each checkpoint, they stamp your passport? Show me your passport again; I want to study it in silence [AO studies passport in silence]
[AO turns the pages slowly. AO has all the time in the world]
What was your immigration status in each country? were you firmly resettled anywhere?
what is "material support"? does it mean any assistance, even a glass of water, to a person who might be a member of a terrorist organization?
   did you assist armed rebels? any members of an armed group?
did you ever help a wounded person in your country? at protests, people get shot and beaten, y es? and then you helped them? you gave assistance to a "rebel"?
What is the PKK? is it an armed group? you gave assistance to a member of an armed group?
= = =
did anything bad happen to anyone in your family? any threats? NO? not one?
your brother voluntarily returned to your "dangerous country" and he was shot? NO? nothing happened to him? so, your country is not dangerous?
=
some angry men, not in uniforms, talked to your father? how did you know they were from the government? maybe they were from some armed group?
   they did not threaten your father? NO? why does it say on page 14 that your father was threatened?
did any thing else happen, that was bad, to your family?
=
Let's talk about living in France in 2013. what was your address?

activist from Syria [part one]

The asylum officer asked:
How do you know your interpreter? are  you paying him today?
Did anyone help you do the I-589? was it read back to you in your language?
How did you write your Declaration? what was the process?  you wrote it yourself in English? you typed it yourself?
Did your attorney help you write it?
= =
what is your full name? ever use any other names?   DOB? POB?
box 15 asks for your ethnic group? Box 16 asks for your religion?
when did you last leave your country? how come  you know that date so clearly?
when did you arrive in USA? why did you enter at that time?
IN OTHER WORDS, CAN YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID ON PAGE ONE OF 589?
why did you come to the USA?
Show me your passport! I want to study it in silence for 2 minutes. {I
 will compare it to what you said on the 589]
Tell me  your address in October 2005! [this is 13 years ago, but tell me]
where did you live in 2006? you had three dif addresses in 2006?
where did you live in 2012?  in 2013?  you made errors on page 4 of the 589? if you make errors, then we will talk about addresses, not about harm you suffered.
Where did you live in the USA?
Tell me about your education: language school in 2007, which is 11  years ago
Today,  you  work at an office building: what is the address? how come you do not know the address?
4 years ago, you worked for 10 months for the X Corporation? how come it says 11 months on the 589? you were too busy to read your 589 before this interview?
you have 3 brothers, and two sisters? where is each one, right now? your sister voluntarily returned to the dangerous country last year, and no one has harmed her?
= ==
when  you were growing up, any problems in your country? NO? not any? I thought you were a persecuted minority ethnic group?
-any threats as a child? not any? really?
you finished high school in 2007? any problems before then? none? really? it was a wonderful experience to live as a minority under a cruel dictatorship?
What about your military service? wasn't there a compulsory draft? where are the documents showing your deferral? [the Syrian military is evil; almost all of its members are evil?]
ever go to a military office, yourself, to get a deferral?
Were you really a student in Turkey, or were you in the military at that time?
did you ever have a Syrian military I.D..? where is it now?
Your father was  poor; how did you pay for college? how pay for airplane tickets?

comments of a former asylum officer: March 2018

A former asylum officer published some comments on ILW.com recently:
Officers are busy: they have lots of cases and lots of administrative tasks, such as doing background checks.
"the officer may spend only 20 minutes reviewing your file before calling you in for the interview."
So, do not give extra info that the officer does not care about.
-keep your personal statement to less than 5 pages
     State up front what harm you suffered, and why you suffered it
What harm did you suffer?
was your personal statement translated back to y ou, word-for-word in your native language?
=
Asylum officers already know about the conditions of most countries.
What does the Department of State say about your country?
    highlight excerpts you want the officer to focus on
I-589
  did you ever use any other names?  Put this in the application:
page 1, question 7: "What other names have you used?"
The officer will do a background check on the names you give. If you add a new name at the interview, this will slow your case down: the officer must do another check
-make the I-589 perfect! any errors in it will slow the interview down. You want to talk about the harm you suffered, not the address of where you lived 36 months ago.
-
officers know the law! they get weekly training. They are urged to consult the Asylum Office Training Manual
-officers have time contraints! they may not read a legal brief
-be concise as possible. a succinct cover letter may suffice, rather than a lengthy brief
=
Study your personal statement before the interview. If you are inconsistent, the officer will spend time on that.
=
letters of corroboration are not that important. Officers do not have much time to read them; they may contain fraud; they are not so useful.
Did you suffer harm? can you repeat your story, consistently?

"Less is more," Judge Crosland told me, once.

activist from the DRC

The asylum officer asked:
why are you applying for asylum?
why is government angry at you?
what were your activities, that made them angry?
why did the soldiers arrest your brother?
why did you sister do that?
When was she arrested?
when did mother tell you sister had been arrested
when did the phone threats start?
when did the threats stop?
what words did the man say?
after getting beat up in the country side, how did you get to your house?
Why did you believe the office?
where were you at the time of the arrrest?
detained how long?
what happened on the day of your release?
=
when did you start planning to come to USA?
when and how did you get  your passport?
no problems getting passport?
how did you get the passport? walk into embassy, or did your father walk in and get it for  you?
tell me about your second arrest: where were you at the time of your arrest, and what happened on the day of your release
what did they say to you, inside the prison?
after your release, where did you go, and how did you get there? walk? take a taxi? using what money?
=
what did you do, during the last 30 days in your country?
sit inside, and watch TV? walk outside in the park?
since you departed, has anyone in your country had any problems?
has anyone suffered physical harm? why?
how do you know about this?
Is there anything we have not talked about?
is there anything else?
what would happen if you return to your country?
did you report your beating to the police? why not?
why didn't your employer write a letter of support for you?
what do you do here in USA?

activist from Sudan #2

The asylum officer asked:
How does your government treat dissidents?
"I know the answer to many of these questions, I ask to get your answer for the record, to justify my opinion, to my boss, that you deserve asyum"
-is there anything else?
are there laws against honor killings in your country?
are there laws against gay activity?
are you a "sexual minority"?
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ever give anything to a terrorist organization?
Tell me all of  your international travel!
ever get status in another country?
ever serve in the military? receive training on guns or explosives?
ever been accused of a crime?
ever been accused of being a member of a terrorist organization?
ever give food, money, transportation to an organization?
ever recruited on behalf of an organization?
==
does the persecutor believe he has the right to harm the applicant because the applicant has the protected characteristic?
-"I have the right to abuse the victim because she possessed the characteristics that define the group"
=
is there anything else?
is there a member of your family living here in USA who did NOT write a declaration of support for you?

an activist from Sudan

The asylum officer asked:
Show me  your passport? when does it expire? was it difficult to get?
Tell me all of your international travel! Why did you visit each country, and how long were you there?
=
Tell me all of your addresses for the last 60 months: where did you sleep at night?
[the answer is not important for 90% of applicants, but we are not yet sure about you]
Tell me about all of your employment, in your life?
Oh,  you are unemployed now? Really? how are you supporting yourself? how do you pay rent?
= =
who helped you prepare your application?
did he read it back to you in your native language?
Why do you want asylum?
Whom do you fear?
  Because of your race/ethnic group, how were you harmed?
     any physical harm? tell me month, year, city. Go to doctor or hospital?
   -any threats? 
  - any economic harm?
Were you ostracized? shunned? not invited to parties or to lunches?
[some applicants use FGM to get asylum, but then they do it to their own daughters! We know this because we get access, secretly, to records]
Tell me how Mr. X threatened you! what words did he say?
What is the penalty for being gay in your country?
how many times were you arrested?
   for arrest #1, where were you at the moment of y our arrest? what was the man wearing? what did he say? why did he arrest you?
what does NEXUS  mean? it means the reason or motive why you suffered harm
you were in a group the man believed entitled him to harm you?
     Concerning arrest #2, where were you at the moment of your arrest? what was the man wearing? what words did he say? why did he arrest you?
==
/they put you in a cell and started punching you? how did it end? why did they stop?
What would happen if  you return?
How would the government know you came back?
would you get arrested at the airport? why not?
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did you lie to get  your visa?
Isn't there at least one safe place for you to live in your country? Gov't in the capital city is angry at you, so don't live there: go to small city 500 miles away
Is there anything else?
Where did the money come from, for your airplane tickets? how do you pay rent, buy food, here in USA?
=

suggestions from an Immigration Judge

An immigration judge made this suggestions: January 2018:
-a statement in English, with no translation, is suspect. Can the applicant really write in English?
-did someone with contemporarenous knowledge write a letter of support? for example, if you were hit on the head at 2:30 pm, on Monday, January , 2018 at 1600 Penn Avenue, was there someone else there at the same time, who saw something?
- or maybe someone saw you, with a bruise, at 9:00 pm that same day.
-if you saw a doctor, or went to a hospital, get the records! Or explain why you could not get them.
=
were you really a member of the organization? where is your card? did the organization write a letter of support?
-if a document is not available, explain why not
-if you refuse to take the advice of  your lawyer, write a letter and explain:

    For example, "My lawyer told me to _______[do this, and also this]. He has been to immigration Court over 100 times, and he has heard directly what judges want. I admit I have never been to immigration court in my life. I have never heard anything from an Immigration Judge.  Nevertheless, I reject the advice of my lawyer because __________ [ I believe I know more about court than he does]

In court, the Judge will ask you, :"Oh, you are very smart, You know more than your lawyer. If that is true, why did you hire him? why did you waste your money, getting advice that you reject?"