Thursday, May 24, 2018

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?
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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?
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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?
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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?

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

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?