http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/asylum/ en-us Sat, 2 Jan 2010 22:20:34 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419700/posts LANCASTER, Calif. – The asylum seeker from Somalia hung his head as an immigration judge grilled him about his treacherous journey from the Horn of Africa. By air, sea and land he finally made it to Mexico, and then a taxi delivered him into the arms of U.S. border agents at San Diego. Islamic militants had killed his brother, Mohamed Ahmed Kheire testified, and majority clan members had beaten his sister. He had to flee Mogadishu to live. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419700/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 22:20:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418557/posts A seven-year-old Pakistani girl and her family have been given asylum in Canada after reports the child was raped and left to die when her Christian father refused to convert to Islam. The identities of Baby Neeha and her family are being protected by immigration officials, said human rights lawyer Chantal Desloges and One Free World International, a church that was instrumental in getting the family here. The family arrived in Canada on Dec. 12 after a three-year battle by organizers to spirit them out of danger in Pakistan. The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418557/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:45:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415223/posts Envoy decries illegal migration to Holland From Laolu Akande (New York) and Abiodun Fagbemi (Ilorin) POUNDED at home and desperate to keep hope alive, Nigerians are among the top nationalities fleeing their own country and seeking asylum in industrialized nations, according to the United Nations (UN). Meanwhile, the Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Nigeria to The Netherlands, Dr. Nimota Akanbi, has deplored illegal movement of many Nigerians into The Netherlands. Although Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia were three most affected countries, Nigeria was still grouped among the other "main countries of origin of asylum seekers" in mostly western nations as at the second... NGRGuardian News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415223/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:58:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413915/posts Failed Asylum Seeker Who Killed 12-Year-Old Girl Wins Court Bid To Stay In Britain Daily Mail Reporter 23rd December 2009 Aso Mohammed Ibrahim has been allowed to stay in the country despite knocking down and killing a 12-year-old girl while disqualified. A failed asylum seeker who fled after knocking down and killing a 12-year-old girl has won his appeal to stay in Britain. The family of Amy Houston, who was left dying under the wheels of Aso Mohammed Ibrahim's Rover car as she walked to the shops, have spoken of their disgust at the decision. The Kurdish Iraqi was on... Daily Mail (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413915/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:47:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387569/posts Law Firm's Scam Reopens Hundreds Of Asylum Cases Stephen Magagnini Nov. 16, 2009 For years, Sacramento's Sekhon & Sekhon law firm was renowned as a beacon of hope. The firm, boasting a 95 percent success rate, helped more than 1,000 immigrants from a half-dozen nations get political asylum in the United States based on a fear of persecution. Many of those new Americans now stand to be deported, because as many as 700 – coached by the firm's lawyers and interpreters – told phony stories of torture and rape to immigration judges and asylum officers. In June, following a three-month... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387569/posts#comment Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:12:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370322/posts After years on the run, Gilda Ghanipour stumbled upon a retired immigration judge and his Pepperdine law students, who championed her quest for asylum. She won her case. But she doesn't know it. Director Bruce Einhorn, second from right, and students of Pepperdine Law School's Asylum Clinic. They championed Gilda Ghanipour's quest for asylum. (Ann Johansson / For The Times / October 22, 2009) Gilda Ghanipour has spent the last nine years on the run. Abandoned by her Muslim family for converting to Christianity, she has shuttled from one address to the next, terrified of being deported to her native... The Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370322/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:37:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361599/posts Nuremberg - The daughter of a close associate of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has requested asylum in Germany, after attending a human rights film festival in Nuremberg, a festival spokesman said on Tuesday. Filmmaker Nargef Kalhor, 25, had refused to return to her native Iran after the festival and applied for asylum instead. She is currently in a refugee centre near Nuremberg, the spokesman added. Kalhor's father Mehdi Kalhor is said to be one of Ahmadinejad's closest confidants. The former documentary film producer has advised the Iranian president on cultural issues since August 2005. Nargef Kalhor attended the Nuremberg festival... Monsters and Critics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361599/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:50:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2323771/posts <p>SAN FRANCISCO -- A Northern California family whose daughter underwent forced circumcision in Indonesia is entitled to seek political asylum in the United States, a federal appeals court said Monday.</p> <p>The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco criticized immigration officials who, in ordering the family deported, decided that the girl had suffered no serious harm when her genitals were mutilated as a newborn.</p> SFChronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2323771/posts#comment Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:08:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2319367/posts A Swedish gay rights organisation has called on the government not to deport any homosexual Iraqi asylum seekers in the light of a shocking new report categorising an extermination campaign against gay men in the Middle Eastern country. The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL) has now called on the Swedish government to halt all deportations to Iraq of people who have sought asylum on the basis of sexual orientation or gender. "We urge Sweden to investigate the possibility of evacuating homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people who are at risk of being subjected to 'sexual cleansing',"... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2319367/posts#comment Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:53:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296728/posts July 15, 2009 California is the biggest destination for those granted asylum Every year the federal government grants refugee and asylum status to "persons who have been persecuted or who have a well-founded fear of persecution" in their native countries. The legal difference between a "refugee" and an "asylee" is the former requests refuge outside the United States, while the latter requests it after entering this country. The U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics compiles data on these two groups. Its latest report indicates that 60,108 persons were admitted to the United States as refugees in 2008. The leading countries of... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296728/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:56:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2293362/posts Speaking for the European Union presidency, Swedish migration minister Tobias Billström said on Wednesday that the EU supported requiring visas for Canadians travelling to the EU in response to Canada’s decision to impose visa restrictions on Czech nationals. "As the presidency of the EU, we are in favour of this reciprocity," Swedish Migration and Asylum Policy Minister Tobias Billström told AFP. "But it's up to the Commission to handle the proposal, because the Commission is responsible for the reciprocity mechanism," he added. Canada imposed visas on Czechs to stave off what it said was a steady influx of Roma asylum... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2293362/posts#comment Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:07:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276055/posts Whenever a dictatorship is near falling there are only a few limited options for the dictator: 1. Institute a brutal crackdown, and murder a substantial fraction of your subjects in hopes that the survivors will be cowed into submission. 2. Die. Usually in a very unpleasant and humiliating fashion. 3. Seek sanctuary in another country. Even the likes of self-admitted cannibal Idi Amin was able to find a country that would accept him. Should the mad mullahs of Iran be backed into a corner they will turn even more vicious. Sun Tzu recognized that putting an enemy in this position... me http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276055/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:08:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273686/posts Julio Ledezma had been chief of police in La Junta, a town of 8,700 in northern Mexico, for barely three months when a pair of strangers paid him a visit. They said an aide to the mayor had sent them, and they bore gifts: a briefcase stuffed with cash and a truck for Ledezma's personal use. In return, the new chief was to distract federal police at security checkpoints with fake calls for assistance. He could take the bribe -- and be owned by the Juarez cartel. As drug violence has worsened in Mexico, businesspeople, journalists and other professionals have... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273686/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:40:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263481/posts Stephen Whittle, left, and Simon Sheppard , convicted of disseminating hate speech in Britain, skipped bail and came to Los Angeles in July 2008, thinking they’d find asylum in the U.S., where such laws are less stringent. Instead, they have spent the last 10 months held in the Santa Ana city jail after a federal immigration judge denied them asylum and put them on a slow track back to Britain. latimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263481/posts#comment Wed, 3 Jun 2009 03:44:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256914/posts Nearly half of the predominantly Iraqi-refugees residing in Vännäs in northern Sweden have decided to permanently move out of the area after being terrorized by what police called “a lynch mob” in early May. “I thought that Vännäs was the perfect place for us. And there are many, many friendly people here. But we still don’t dare to stay; I’m seriously concerned about my children’s safety,” said father of five Ismail Ramadan to the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper. Ramadan’s family and several others have decided to abandon plans of starting a life in the small community outside of Umeå less... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256914/posts#comment Sat, 23 May 2009 16:32:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254670/posts "This is the first food I've eaten in four days," Habiba Mohammad Hassan, a 17-year-old Somali girl says while opening a packet of high-energy cookies from the U.N. World Food Program (WFP). Habiba, and 150 other refugees, just spent three days crossing the hazardous Gulf of Aden, fleeing the conflict in Somalia and arriving on the beach of Bab al Mandeb, in the extreme west of Yemen. Refugees who make it to land receive automatic political asylum, but survivors sometimes report being forced overboard in deep waters far off shore by traffickers. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, has buried... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2254670/posts#comment Wed, 20 May 2009 14:28:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252223/posts No welfare for terrorists. That is my message to the Obama administration's suggestion that taxpayers should foot the bill for terrorist detainees it wants to release into our society so they can start a new life in America...the Obama administration this month sought to make this terrible idea a reality...(and) was nearly successful in releasing 30 terrorists into communities in Northern Virginia but was stopped thanks to efforts by Republicans who understand the danger... The suggestion by National Intelligence Director Dennis C. Blair that we should provide these terrorists public welfare prompted me to introduce legislation called the No Welfare... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252223/posts#comment Sat, 16 May 2009 14:44:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233638/posts CARACAS, Venezuela – A leading opponent of President Hugo Chavez has decided to seek political asylum abroad rather than face a corruption charge in a trial he says would be stacked against him, an ally said Monday. Opposition leader Manuel Rosales, who went into hiding three weeks ago, decided not to appear in court Monday because the case against him is being used for "political persecution," said Omar Barboza, who heads Rosales' political party. "He won't present himself before a court that's been turned into a political tool," Barboza told reporters. "When there's a state of law in Venezuela, Manuel... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233638/posts#comment Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:36:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222727/posts By way of both the Gateway Pundit and Black Five, I came across this Fox News report: An Iraqi translator who has earned commendations for risking his life repeatedly to save the lives of many American soldiers in combat has been denied a visa to live in the United States because of nonviolent actions he took to overthrow Saddam Hussein — at the same time the U.S. government was calling for regime change in Iraq. Jasim, whose name is being withheld for his safety, has received strong support from the U.S. military, and the Department of Homeland Security approved his... 911FamiliesForAmerica.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222727/posts#comment Sun, 5 Apr 2009 14:14:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2211014/posts Fewer people are seeking asylum in Sweden, with the number of applications dropping 33 percent last year, according to new statistics. "During 2008, 24,342 persons sought asylum in Sweden, which is a decrease of 11,865 applications compared to 2007," Statistics Sweden (SCB) said in a statement on Friday. Two-thirds of applicants were men and one-third were women, a common proportion since 2000, it added. Over 100 nationalities were represented among the asylum seekers. The largest group was Iraqis who accounted for a quarter of applications. However, SCB noted that the number of Iraqi asylum seekers was down dramatically. "Iraqis represented... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2211014/posts#comment Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:49:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2210977/posts BOSTON (AP) — Sen. John Kerry has sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to grant asylum to a Brazilian gay man who's married to an American man still living in Massachusetts where they wed. Genesio (jeh-NESS-e-o) "Junior" Oliveira (all-EH-ver-a) was forced to return to Brazil in August 2007, when his application for asylum was denied. The Associated Press does not typically name rape victims, but Oliveira allows his name to be used. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2210977/posts#comment Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:50:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209097/posts WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans to send reinforcements to the Southwest border to help contain the rampant violence of the Mexican drug cartel wars. Thirty-seven agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are being deployed to the region. An official familiar with the plan said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency is considering reassignment of at least 90 officers to the border. The official requested anonymity because the plan has not yet been announced. Sierra Vista Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2209097/posts#comment Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:36:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197583/posts Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the US wants to increase the military assistance it provides Mexico for its fight against drugs trafficking. Mr Gates said Washington was more prepared now to help Mexico in its fight against the cartels which control the flow of illegal narcotics. Mr Gates said aid could come in the form of military hardware, training and intelligence support to help the Mexican authorities in their fight against the well-armed and organised drugs traffickers. "It clearly is a serious problem," Gates said. But he pointed to Mexican President Felipe Calderon as the main reason for this... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197583/posts#comment Mon, 2 Mar 2009 22:28:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2196769/posts El Debate (Sinaloa) 2/24/09 Three of four youths abducted Monday night were found murdered in farmland near Costa Rica, Sinaloa, some 20 miles south of Culiacan. The victims were ages 17, 19 and 20. The fourth youth abducted with them has not been located. All the bodies had signs of torture and had been shot repeatedly in their backs and heads. Their hands were tied behind them with cord. [Photo relates.] murder —– “A small fortune” in US currency was seized by Mexican federal authorities in Culiacan. The Army confiscated more than $380,000 as well as two vehicles from a... NAFBPO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2196769/posts#comment Sun, 1 Mar 2009 18:46:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193221/posts What we now face in Mexico (clearly one of the most unstable countries in the World today) is a convergence of asymmetric threats. The threats posed by the instability in Mexico are many. It is not only the flow of drugs to the U.S. It is not only the violence related to the cartel turf battles. And frankly, it is not only the inability of the Calderón government to exert any real control over the violence or stem the flow of illegal narcotics across the U.S. border that is troubling. What this means is a combined and ever blending threat... ThreatsWatch.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193221/posts#comment Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:16:39 GMT