Musings on Immigration

If you left your home country out of fear for your own safety and you have a credible fear to return, you may qualify for asylum in the United States. There are strict criteria that you must meet to be eligible for asylum. Two of the most important requirements are: ·        You were persecuted in your home country in the past or you have a credible fear that you will be tortured or persecuted if you return; and ·        The reason you will be persecuted relates to your religion, political opinion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or race. Unfortunately, having a general fear of dangerous situations in your home country is not grounds for obtaining asylum. Your application for asylum may also be denied if immigration officials determine that your own government could protect you from persecution or that you could avoid persecution by moving to a different part of your country. If you b...

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed certain parts of President Trump’s travel ban to proceed. The ban affects six Muslim-majority countries: Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Iran. The executive order originally banned all nationals from those countries for 90 days; however, the Supreme Court ruled that the ban could only be enforced against people who do not have a “bona fide” connection with a person or entity in the United States. The Trump administration then issued guidelines that allowed the ban to be enforced against grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others; however, Federal District Judge Derrick Watson ruled that the administration’s interpretation of the court’s ruling was too narrow. Watson ruled that the ban did not apply to grandparents and other close relatives. According to CNN , the Trump administration subsequently asked the Supreme Court to put that decision on hold. The Supreme Court left the decision intact, meaning that the travel ban ...