I have been a member of the Green Party for more than 20 years. Our presidential candidate is Dr. Jill Stein, who is polling at between 1% and 2% in most swing states. That doesn’t sound like much, but in this year’s very tight contest for president, it could determine the outcome of the election.
A portion of Dr. Stein’s support comes from those who oppose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their policy towards Israel and Palestine. These voters, led by the Abandon Harris movement, have thrown their support behind the Green Party candidate, who is leading Harris among likely Muslim voters in several states.
The philosophy behind refusing to choose “the lesser evil,” is nothing new, and I have long disagreed with the approach. This year, the danger is particularly acute, as a Trump win will be especially harmful to Muslims, immigrants, and minorities in the United States (i.e., my clients), as well as people in Palestine. It will also set back the third party movement and cause great harm to our democracy.
First, in terms of democracy and civil society, Donald Trump is, himself, the threat. I won’t rehash all the ways Mr. Trump is unfit to lead our nation. I doubt anyone who reads this blog supports his bid to return to the White House. But I will note that for people like my clients–immigrants and refugees from majority-Muslim nations–this election is about life or death. Mr. Trump has threatened mass deportations if he wins the presidency, he would reinstate the Muslim ban and block refugees from “infested countries.” For the former President, scapegoating refugees and immigrants is like breathing: They are “destroying our country,” “poisoning our blood,” they are “vermin.” We have seen this story before, and we know how it ends.
A group of Muslim scholars aligned with the Abandon Harris movement has written—
We may not know what the future holds, but we know this: we will not taint our hands by voting for or supporting an administration that has brought so much bloodshed upon our brothers and sisters…. We want to be absolutely clear: don’t stay home and skip voting. This year, make a statement by voting third party for the presidential ticket.
Jill Stein too wants voters to believe that they do not have to choose a “lesser evil,” that she represent a third way. This is false. Polling data demonstrates that she will receive less than 2% of votes, and so she cannot win this election. Maybe you don’t believe the polls. Maybe you also think that global warming is a fraud, that cigarettes don’t cause cancer, and that vaccines cause autism. If so, you are probably voting for Donald Trump. But if you live in the real, evidence-based world, here is some (non) news: Global warming is real, cigarettes do cause cancer, vaccines do not cause autism, and the Green Party candidate has no chance to win this election.
Perhaps–like the Muslim scholars–you see your third-party vote as making a “statement” against the current Administration. But that argument fails as well. If you don’t like the corporate policies of, say, Starbucks, you can stop buying their coffee and hope that the economic impact of losing your business will cause them to change their ways. But that’s not how it works with elections. “Boycotting” the election because you oppose the “lesser evil” only serves to empower the greater evil. It’s as if boycotting Starbucks would encourage that company to continue the very policies you oppose. In other words, boycotting the election will have the exact opposite effect of what was hoped for.
Refusing to support the lesser evil will also harm people in Palestine. With a Harris Administration, Muslims would have channels of communication available. Their voices could make a difference. Does anyone believe that Trump 2.0 would listen to those concerned about Palestinians? Further, a Trump Presidency would put the entire Muslim American community on defense. The community and their allies will be preoccupied with survival and less able to advocate for overseas causes.
Finally, there are other ways to oppose the current Administration’s policies aside from withholding support for Ms. Harris. You can vote for the Green Party for down-ballot races (as I do). This demonstrates opposition to the Democratic Party without helping elevate Mr. Trump. Indeed, as I see it, voting for a third-party presidential candidate will actually set back progress towards a more viable multi-party (as opposed to two-party) system. For a third party candidate to succeed in office, she needs a foundation upon which to govern. We need third-party governors, mayors, members of Congress, etc. This is how a movement is built: From the bottom up. It takes time, patience, and commitment. And while I understand that time is in short supply, I also understand that failing to elect any third party candidates will do nothing to achieve the movement’s goals. In short, the Green Party’s focus on the presidency distracts from the real work of building a viable alternative to the major parties that the Abandon Harris movement opposes.
We live in a democratic republic. If we had a different system—like a parliamentary democracy—voting third party might make sense. Once the elected officials are in office, they themselves would have to make the compromises necessary to forge a ruling coalition. But in our system, we, the people, elect a President. We have to make those compromises ourselves. And of course, making compromises is not easy—not getting your way never is, particularly when the stakes are so high. But that is our system, and for now at least, this is our choice: Vote for Kamala Harris or for Donald Trump. Jill Stein is just a dangerous distraction from reality.
Hi Jason,
Thanks for taking time and writing this article. As we all witnessed this was the most difficult election that we had ever experienced in the history of this country. In an election as tight as this one in which the stakes were too high every single vote was crucial. Honestly, I spoke with alot of people who were considering to vote Jill Stein and most people said Trump is bad and there is no doubt about it but Harris is not lesser evil either, they were basically saying that lesser evil is indeed evil. So in this election voters were put in to a very difficult situation. I think it is better if we put ourselves in to the shoes of people who decided to abandon Harris. They were asked to make a choice between voting for a regime that enabled and funded a genocide or voting for a person who threatens to erode the democracy and eliminate minorities from this country. I think for these #abandonharris voters this wasn’t an easy choice. How could they ignore the scenes of babies blown up by US made weapons in Gaza, how could they ignore the cries of internally displaced Palestinians who were burnt alive in their make shift tents by US made bombs dropped on them by Israeli army. I think all these abandonharris voters who either chose to vote Jill Stein or Trump knew the gravity of the situation and the consequences of their decision, but they just simply couldn’t erase those horrific scenes of murder and carnage in Gaza from their minds. So they must have known very well that Jill Stein have less then 0.001% chance to win an election like this but they just wanted to bank their votes there just so democrats and Harris don’t think that these people are so scared of Trump that even if we commit a genocide they won’t punish us. So I think these voters wanted to send a clear message that these minority groups who are always looked down upon possess same punishing power in elections as the pro-Israel lobby groups. Just as the pro-Israel lobby group can punish these people can also punish. I know the result of this election is not idea but at least democrats will go back to the drawing board and recalculate within themselves and take a learning lesson that a Genocide is costly after all and next time think 10 times before funding a genocide in the future. Democratic party who lost this election in such a big landslide is responsible for their own downfall.
I don’t think the Democrats will take that lesson. Had Harris been more pro-Palestinian, she would have lost votes from people who are pro-Israel. I do think the Abandon Harris people wanted to punish Harris for her Administration’s actions, but the problem is, to do that, they also had to punish Palestinians and many people in the US, especially Muslims. In the end, I think Jill Stein and her supporters did not make a difference in this election, and even if every vote for Stein went to Harris, it would not have changed the result. Take care, Jason
Prior to this election democrats were only scared of aipac and pro zionist lobby groups because democrats thought only zionist lobby groups are the ones who can punish them in elections so they better listen to them and follow their commands bit by bit which is why democrats were accepting the playbook of a genocide. This election was historic in many senses, one of which is that democrats were taught such a hard lesson that even Muslims and Arabs and people of minority (the ones that these democrats always undermined and down played) also have a punishing power. Its good, next time these politicians approve to send weapon to a genocidal regime and these minority groups ask not to do so the politicians better listen or lose an election in a shameful way. Trump’s victory was not a coincidental, rather the Genocide in Gaza led Trump to a glory and victory. Now what Trump does with Gazans and this war is a separate story, we know that even he is the one who operates the playbooks of zionists, but at least the ruling party who enabled a genocide was taken down and that by itself can be considered a sigh of victory and solace for Americans who were emotionally tortured by this genocide in last 13 months.
If you are telling me that Arabs and Muslims are too small to change the fate of an election then it is not true, because while they are small they did reach out to other people of conscious and asked them to abandon Harris. And minorities are mostly stationed in these swing states and Trump won them all including Michigan which is filled with Arabs and Muslims and this is never a coincident This is historic, Arabs, Muslims and minority groups registered themselves as a forceful force in US election that should never been down played in future elections.
What I think is that even if all the Jill Stein and Abandon Harris voters had voted for Harris, it would not have changed the result. Maybe it would have helped in MI, but it would not have helped in PA, NC, AZ or many other states. And the people who will suffer most from Trump’s victory are likely to be Palestinians, and after them, Muslims in the US. So if that is a way to teach the Democrats a lesson, there is going to be a lot of collateral damage to the people you purport to be supporting. Take care, Jason
My name is Tina.
I was facing persecution due to the ongoing crisis in the North West and South West Region of Cameroon. Fortunately, I got accepted for an exchange program and I am currently on a J-1 Visa in the US, which expires on November 24th.
I writing to inquire what it would take to get a waiver from the 2 years home residency requirement attached to my visa, in the case where I file for asylum.
Tina,
If you filed for asylum and your petition got approved, then the home residency requirement on your J1 visa no longer prevent you from adjusting your status. Please also allow Jason to respond to this. Thank you.
If a person wins asylum, the J-1 two-year home residency requirement disappears. And so if you file for asylum and win, you will not need a J-1 waiver. Of course, you can do both and if the waiver is granted, you can try to get status on some other basis (family petition, employment, etc). Take care, Jason
We do live tough days in this county. After going through this long wait, here we go facing another very challenging time as we have to deal with election anxiety. I have been so depressed as elections are around the corner as well as the long wait of my AOS application. By the way Jason, whenever I try to submit a case inquiry for outside processing time for my pending AOS application as well as for my all family, I keep getting the same message as “Time out for inactivity” What would this mean? Does it mean that the cases were already resolved or something? If yes, why didn’t USCIS issue a decision then?
That message sounds to me like you did not enter the info quickly enough into the USCIS web page, or maybe the web page is not working properly. If the case is outside normal processing times, you can also make an inquiry with the USCIS Ombudsman – they sometimes help with delayed cases and you can find them if you follow the link under Resources called USCIS Ombudsman. Take care, Jason
I am thinking of something again…
But I checked some green party policies…I am particularly concerned about Green Party’s isolationist worldview…
they seem to want to limit U.S. involvement in world affairs…and let the persecutors be…in the name of “conflict avoidance”. They don’t seem to understand that, sometimes, in order to quash evil axis…some kind of conflicts/wars are necessary…
This does ensure that there is a steady flow of asylum seekers and continued businesses for asylum lawyers…
But…is it really in the best interest of these asylum seekers ? Shouldn’t the best action be … kill the persecutors ? So when you say you have been a Green Party member for 20 years, it all explains…My opinion is that, there is insufficient condemnation and action from the asylum community towards the persecutors, there is a lot of commentary about US asylum system, but I rarely hear that something should be about the persecutors around the world to maybe help those would-be asylum seekers.
“The Green Party calls on the United States to join the International Criminal Court, and sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and Non-Proliferation Treaty. Additionally, it supports cutting the defense budget in half, as well as prohibiting all arms sales to foreign countries.
The Green Party supports the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to decrease sanctions while limiting Iran’s capacity to make nuclear weapons.
The Green Party advocates for the Palestinian right of return and cutting all U.S. aid to Israel. It has also expressed support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.[55] The Green Party supports “…the creation of one secular, democratic state for Palestinians and Israelis on the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan as the national home of both peoples, with Jerusalem as its capital.”
The Green Party called for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war and condemned Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip.”
I joined the GP mostly due to statehood for DC and environmental issues, and I can’t say I am an active member or even follow the party much these days. I am no fan of Jill Stein, though, that is for sure. Take care, Jason
I think Democrats need to do something about Jill Stein.
But I am worried that … attacking Jill Stein could…ironically increase her visibility…
The example is Tulsi Gabbard, she originally couldn’t qualify for a democratic debate in 2019…but…Clinton and her had a feud…and the Internet picked it up…and it actually raised her poll number !!! And she qualified for the next debate !
So I am not sure what I should to about Jill Stein…I want to help Kamala Harris, but I am worried that attacking Jill Stein would turn some people off…
As I mentioned in the comments, I think there is a real problem with Jill Stein – why was she sitting at a dinner table with Vladimir Putin in 2015? Why was her denunciation of Bashir Assad for the Syrian Civil War so weak? She certainly knows how to denounce governments that she does not like (i.e., Israel). I think pointing out these issues is all we can do. People will vote how they choose, but it seems to me that Trump and Putin (and probably Netanyahu) are very happy whenever any potential Harris voter instead votes for Jill Stein. Take care, Jason
HiJason,
Can i request my EOIR case proceedings? I just want to have it for the record since i’m applying for green card.
If yes, how can i do it and if it’s ok to do it by myself!
Thank you!
If you have a lawyer and the case is new, the documents should be on the ECAS system, which is an online system for filing and retrieving records. Only lawyers can use that. Otherwise, you can do a Freedom of Information Act request if you follow the link under Resources called FOIA EOIR and you should be able to get a copy that way. You do not need a lawyer to do that. Take care, Jason
Thank you Jason.
I’d like to know if asylum seekers with asylum pending are eligible to get mortgage loans from banks to buy a house.
It’s not something I know about, but I think so – I have had clients buy houses and I think they had mortgages. I would talk to a few banks, as it may depend on the bank. Take care, Jason
Yes asylum seeker can get mortgage loan from bank or lenders as Jason said depending on the bank.
Hey Dounya, you can get mortgage with pending status, you should have stable income and good credit for better interest. Me and other friends of mine all bought a house with pending status
I bought a house in 2021 while my case was pending. The lender asked EAD though
Its been two months since I am waiting for my asylum decision after interview. My mental health is impacted, i am having nightmares now because of the uncertainty. I am wondering why it takes so long to make a decision after interview? What’s the process? Can they do the background check before the interview instead of after? Been stress out all my life as a gay man I need this process to be over so I can move on.
Unfortunately, it is very common to have delays after the interview, and the time frame is not predictable. The reason is mostly due to security background checks, which is apparently a pretty time-consuming process for the officers. It would be nice if they could complete that before the interview, but since many people do not show up for their interviews, I think it is not efficient to do check on people who may not show up (of course, this issue could be resolved by contacting people in advance about the interview to confirm they will attend – this is an issue for another day). Anyway, I did a post on June 2, 2021 with some ideas for getting a decision faster and maybe that would help. I think it is too soon, but at some point, if there is no decision, you can file a mandamus. Most people get decisions in a few months, so hopefully you will get some good news soon. Take care, Jason
Evening,
What could be possible reasons for expediting green card processing after asylum have been granted?
Regards
Financial hardship, health issues where the GC would somehow help with getting treatment, mental health issues. Maybe the need to travel. You can use any reason, but some reasons are stronger than others, and it depends on what evidence you get. Also, I think it is very difficult to expedite a GC, but you can try. I wrote more about expediting in general on January 29, 2020. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason
I attended my asylum interview 2days ago in Newark. Officer said they will mail decision. I had a pending renewal EAD application for like 6 months. Suddenly today got email from my USCIS that there is an action in your EAD application and the status says “an USCIS officer in looking into the application “ is it just coincidence or have any relevance with the interview.
Thanks in advance
I am not sure, and I have little confidence in the online messages. It is pretty rare to get a decision in two days, but you will have to wait for the paper decision to know for sure. Good luck, Jason
Thanks Jason. Do you have any ballpark idea how long it might take to get the paper decision based on your current experience?
Wait times are all over the place. Most of our cases take 6 months to a year, but sometimes it is faster and other times, slower. This is in Virginia and many of our cases involve people from Muslim countries, who seem to have extra-long security checks. So if you are not from a country that the US checks extra carefully, maybe it will be faster. Take care, Jason
Tony, when did you apply for asylum as i also have my case pending in Newark office and still waiting for interview ?
Hello Jason,
I hope you are doing well. The court approve my case on November/2023.
I have applied for my and my family green card on 04/2024 ans still didn’t get any response.
I’m just wondering can I or my attorney do any thing in this regard.
Thank you
Asylum M
Assuming you have the receipt, you should be fine. I doubt there is much you can do, as these cases normally take a year or two. If you wanted to try to expedite, I wrote about that on January 29, 2020 and maybe that post would give you some ideas. Take care, Jason
Thank you so much
Hi Jason
A RFE for my I-730 was issued late August requesting evidence for bonafide marriage. I mailed all the required evidence and it was delivered to the USCIS four weeks ago(tracked).
To this day, online status still says “RFE was mailed”
I want to ensure if USCIS got my RFE response and they just forgot to update RFE status online.
When i try to get hold of an agent via phone, it is impossible to talk to anyone and when I try the chat, they say, “Due to the sensitive nature of Section 208.6 protected cases, case inquiries on Form I-730 can only be done by phone through the USCIS Contact Center.”
The deadline for submission is in two weeks so I don’t know how can I get confirmation that USCIS got my RFE response. Should I re-send a copy of RFE response one more time in same address stating why I am sending it again if they had already received the first one? I am so frustated with the whole situation.
Can you please suggest?
I would be very surprised if it has not been received, but I guess you could re-send it. If you do that, include a cover letter indicating what happened – you were not sure they received it, and so you are sending the same package again. I guess there is no harm in that, and as long as they see the cover letter, they should not be confused by the duplicate filing. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason, Thank you for your help as always!
I am an asylee and my wife is scheduled to make an appointment for an interview at US consulate as part of the follow to join process for asylee family member . Does she need to provide I-864 (affidavit of support ) at the interview? USCIS didn’t request i-864 when I was filing form I-730. so i guess that is not required for asylees? But It is listed as a requirement on the consular email , so I was a bit confused. May be they are sending standard email for all migrant visa applications??
The I-864 is not required, but sometimes the email is a standard email they send to I-130 (as opposed to I-730) beneficiaries. Take care, Jason
Hi AMEX,
Just wanted to know how long did take for your I-730 to be approved and your family to be scheduled for interview. Thanks
That person may respond as well, but we are seeing the USCIS potion of the process take 1 to 2 years, and then the consular part varies depending on the country – in most cases, maybe 2 to 6 months. You can try to expedite the process. I wrote about expediting in general on January 29, 2020, and about the I-730 process on January 13, 2020. Take care, Jason
USCIS took one year. The consular took 3 month.
So it’s not worth it to engage them in good faith.
I don’t really buy that, though I think Jill Stein in particular has some very strange skeletons in her closet, including an association with Putin and a fondness for Assad in Syria. Take care, Jason