Obama Administration Easing Immigration Rule For Would-Be Asylum Seekers

Sorrybrah · 02-10-2014, 10:18 AM

Quote:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has eased the rules for would-be asylum-seekers, refugees and others who hope to come to the United States or stay here and who gave "limited" support to terrorists or terrorist groups.

The change is one of President Barack Obama's first actions on immigration since he pledged during his State of the Union address last month to use more executive directives.

The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department now say that people considered to have provided "limited material support" to terrorists or terrorist groups are no longer automatically barred from the United States.

A post-Sept. 11 provision in immigrant law, known as terrorism related inadmissibility grounds, had affected anyone considered to have given support. With little exception, the provision has been applied rigidly to those trying to enter the U.S. and those already here but wanting to change their immigration status.

For Morteza Assadi, a 49-year-old real estate agent in northern Virginia, the law has left him in a sort of immigration purgatory while his green card application has been on hold for more than a decade.

As a teenager in Tehran, Iran, in the early 1980s, Assadi distributed fliers for a mujahedeen group that opposed the government of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and was at one time considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Assadi said he told the U.S. government about his activities when he and his wife applied for asylum in the late 1990s. Those requests were later granted and his wife has since become a U.S. citizen. But Assadi's case has remained stalled.

"When we are teenagers, we have different mindsets," Assadi said. "I thought, I'm doing my country a favor."

Assadi said he only briefly associated with the group, which was removed from Washington's list of terrorist organizations in 2012, and that he was never an active member or contributor to its activities. Now he's hopeful that the U.S. government will look at his teenage activities as "limited."

His lawyer, Parastoo Zahedi, said she has filed case in federal court to force U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to process Assadi's green card application, but now hopes the government will act on its own.

"In the past, the minute your name was associated with a (terrorist) organization you were being punished," Zahedi said. "Not every act is a terrorist act and you can't just lump everyone together."

The Homeland Security Department said in a statement that the rule change, which was announced last week and not made in concert with Congress, gives the government more discretion, but won't open the country to terrorists or their sympathizers. People seeking refugee status, asylum and visas, including those already in the United States, still will be checked to make sure they don't pose a threat to national security or public safety, the department said.

In the past, the provision has been criticized for allowing few exemptions beyond providing medical care or acting under duress. The change now allows officials to consider whether the support was not only limited but potentially part of "routine commercial transactions or routine social transactions."

"Refugee applicants are subject to more security checks than any other category of traveler to the United States," Homeland Security spokesman Peter Boogaard said. "Nothing in these exemptions changes the rigorous, multilayered security screening we do."

The change does not specifically address "freedom fighters" who may have fought against an established government, including members of rebel groups who have led revolts in Arab Spring uprisings.

In late 2011, Citizenship and Immigration Services said about 4,400 affected cases were on hold as the government reviewed possible exemptions to the rule. It's unclear how many of those cases are still pending.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the rule change will help people he described as deserving refugees and asylum-seekers.

"The existing interpretation was so broad as to be unworkable," Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement. He said the previous rule barred applicants for reasons "that no rational person would consider."

Republican lawmakers argued that the administration is relaxing rules designed by Congress to protect the country from terrorists.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called the change naive given today's global terrorist threats.

"President Obama should be protecting U.S. citizens rather than taking a chance on those who are aiding and abetting terrorist activity and putting Americans at greater risk," said Goodlatte, R-Va.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...usaolp00000009

Of all the things he could've done to immigration, I am not entirely sure that this should even be on the top of the list.

Severity · 02-10-2014, 10:58 AM

No bueno.

VeryNicePerson1 · 02-10-2014, 11:16 AM

I just gave a big "huh".

*confused*

Malign0n · 02-10-2014, 11:41 AM

This one I feel rather indifferent to. It's not a major policy change but it affects those who are asylum seekers and were part of (limited involvement) with the US recognized terror groups. Some on the list are rather outdated and needs to be updated so those who did little involvement (e.g passing flyers before a coup d'état) should be allowed to receive green cards and ultimately citizenship.

The Government is rather critical of those applicants and I don't really see criminals getting green cards or what not.

Cloudless · 02-10-2014, 05:37 PM

This change is necessary because (believe it or not) the US government defined any organization that raises arms against any government as terrorist. Assadi's story is a perfect example of that. USA is the enemy of Khomeini, and his organization was rising up against the Ayatollah. By logic the organization should receive support from USA, but instead it's labeled as terrorist because it's armed.

I've heard of extreme examples where folks were forced at gunpoint by rebel groups to provide shelter. The previous rule considered this as giving 'material support' to a terrorist organization, even if it's done under duress.

Djdieg007 · 02-10-2014, 06:53 PM

Can Obama extend sectio 245i? If so he should do it.... Idk what he is waiting for....

Severity · 02-10-2014, 07:18 PM

Hopefully it's one of many EO to come.

zone2oo0 · 02-10-2014, 07:25 PM

dude, if dream9 or dream30 benefit from this, fuck you.

Frank Knight · 02-10-2014, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zone2oo0

dude, if dream9 or dream30 benefit from this, fuck you.

You really need to let go of the anger to the D9/30.

Not that this policy change affects them since none of them (to my knowledge) were affiliated with any of the cartels or the Zapatistas.

Pianoswithoutfaith · 02-11-2014, 02:31 AM

wait.. one if someone I know, was actually affected by cartel and one of his reasons for moving here was fear for his life? (short story: his father messed with the wrong cartel, was killed and his family was threaten to leave the country) He has threatening letters and pictures to back up his claims. You guys think this would affect him positively?

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Obama Administration Easing Immigration Rule For Would-Be Asylum Seekers