Comments filed with U.S. Citizenship & immigration Services Opposing New Refugee Application

admin Administrative Law

Today, our firm filed comments with the division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security responsible for Refugee matters, opposing changes in the form used to seek refugee status. If changed as proposed, the form will fail to obtain from applicants the information needed for the government to make a proper determination as to whether a person claiming refugee status actually qualifies as a refugee under federal law.

With respect to so called Syrian refugees, the persons who want admission to the United States may be fleeing danger, but generally they are not fleeing what the statute requires — persecution on the ground of race, religion, nationality, or membership in a social group or political opinion. The form even fails to ask a person to state his nationality, or whether he is stateless.

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