Wednesday, July 18, 2018

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?

Monday, July 9, 2018

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?

Friday, July 6, 2018

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?

Monday, July 2, 2018

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?