This post is by Mikhail Sebastian Okunuga, a coffee connoisseur, world traveler, writer, and memoirist whose work explores statelessness, exile, and the quiet resilience of survival. Drawing from years of displacement and travels across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific—including prolonged immigration detention—his award-winning memoir Stateless in Paradise has received both the International Impact Book Award and The Prestigious International Hope Book Award, honoring its powerful testimony to endurance, dignity, and the human search for belonging.
I was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, to Armenian parents during the years of the Soviet Union. Like many families in the region, mine was caught in the collapse of an empire and the rise of ethnic conflict. When the Soviet Union dissolved, borders hardened, new states formed, and nationality laws changed overnight. For people like me, identity became a liability rather than a guarantee. I grew up moving through a world where papers determined your worth, your safety, and your future.
As conflicts escalated and opportunities disappeared, I began a life of movement. I traveled, worked, and survived across multiple countries, often without the security of recognized citizenship. Eventually, lacking a valid national passport, I obtained a World Passport issued by the World Service Authority. This was not a perfect solution, but it offered hope—a way to cross borders, to exist, to keep moving when no country would formally claim me.
That fragile hope collapsed when I arrived in American Samoa, a territory of the United States. Instead of continuing my journey, I became trapped. My travel document was not recognized, and I was neither admitted nor deported. For 18 months, I was stranded in a place that looked like paradise but felt like prison. I could not leave. I could not work legally. I lived under constant surveillance and uncertainty, unsure whether I would be detained indefinitely or forced into another cycle of deportation.
This experience revealed the cruel paradox of statelessness. You are not illegal enough to deport, yet not legal enough to stay. You exist in a bureaucratic void, where every door is closed because no system is designed to handle people who belong nowhere. I was not alone in this condition. Across the world, stateless people are detained, abandoned or ignored because governments do not know what to do with them—or choose not to know.
During those months in American Samoa, I learned how fragile dignity becomes when identity is stripped away. Without papers, you must constantly explain your existence. You are questioned, doubted, and dismissed. You lose access to basic rights: employment, healthcare, education, freedom of movement. You are alive, yet legally invisible. The psychological toll is immense. Statelessness does not only steal your future; it erodes your sense of self.
Eventually, after months of uncertainty and with the involvement of humanitarian advocates, I was allowed to leave. But my struggle did not end there. Statelessness follows you. Each border crossing is a gamble. Each interaction with immigration authorities carries the risk of detention or rejection. Even when you find refuge, you live knowing that your status can be questioned at any moment.
The path to legal stability in the United States was long and uncertain. It required patience, legal advocacy, resilience, and the support of people who believed in my humanity beyond my paperwork. I navigated asylum processes, temporary statuses, and endless documentation. Every step forward came with fear of being sent back into limbo.
Yet, slowly, something changed. I began to rebuild my life. I worked, contributed, and formed deep connections. I became part of a community. Over time, I transitioned from surviving to belonging. When I finally stood at my naturalization ceremony and took the oath of United States citizenship, the moment felt surreal. For the first time in my life, I was officially claimed by a country.
Citizenship gave me more than a passport. It gave me stability, protection, and the freedom to move without fear. But it also gave me responsibility. I carry with me the memory of statelessness and the knowledge that millions of others remain trapped in the same invisible condition.
Today, an estimated ten to fifteen million people worldwide are stateless. Many are born into it. Others become stateless through war, discrimination, changing borders or gaps in nationality laws. Stateless children grow up without access to education or healthcare. Stateless adults are denied the right to work legally or travel. Some spend years in detention simply because no country will accept them.
What makes statelessness especially cruel is how preventable it often is. With inclusive nationality laws, legal safeguards, and political will, most cases could be resolved. Yet stateless people remain among the most marginalized populations on earth, largely because they lack a voice, a flag, or a state to advocate for them.
My story is not exceptional because of its suffering, but because it had an ending. Many stateless people never reach citizenship. They grow old in limbo. They die without nationality. Their lives disappear quietly into bureaucratic silence.
That is why I tell my story. Not to seek sympathy, but to demand recognition. Stateless people are not paperwork errors. They are human beings with dreams, talents, and much to offer. Citizenship should not be a privilege reserved for the fortunate; it should be a right protected by law.
Becoming a U.S. citizen did not erase my past, but it gave it meaning. My journey from statelessness to citizenship is proof that identity can be restored, dignity reclaimed, and belonging rebuilt. It is also a reminder that until every person has the right to belong somewhere, the work is not finished.
Statelessness is not a relic of history. It is happening now. And it deserves to be seen.
Hi Jason, just curious if mandamus lawsuits are still working for asylee who are waiting for greencards? I’m waiting now about a year and 5 months and thinking about filling mandamus lawsuits, what’s your advice regards to that.
Also wondering is any of your clients who are not from 19 ban countries received a greencard in last few weeks ? I my self is not from ban country and thinking about doing something so my case moves,
In my opinion USCIS is running as shit show right now, and most of high ranking people are so low life that they don’t care for you or think you as a normal human being.
I think it is too soon for you to file a mandamus lawsuit, as your case is still well within the “normal” processing time. If the case is outside the processing time, a mandamus lawsuit might work, though for people from “banned” countries, I think a mandamus may not work, or USCIS could just deny the case as un-approvable since the mandamus requires that USCIS make a decision, but does not require that the decision be an approval. Unfortunately, USCIS has been converted from an agency that is meant to review cases and confer immigration benefits into an agency that is primarily concerned about enforcement and which views everything as fraudulent. This aligns with the Administration’s agenda, but is in conflict with the agency’s traditional agenda, and so I think resources are being stretched thin and morale is low. All this makes USCIS less able to do its job. Take care, Jason
Do you recommend folks with no status other than a “pending asylum” to travel in domestic flights? When they run the driver’s license, does TSA in the airport check for immigration status nowadays? In the past, it has been perfectly fine for folks with “pending asylum” status to travel domestically, because there was not much scrutiny from the TSA. But do you think right now it is best to be scrupulous and to avoid domestic flights for folks with “pending asylum” status? Have you heard of cases when those folks have been detained or deported? What is your take on the matter?
I have not heard about asylum seekers being detained at the airport, except in a case where the person apparently had a prior deportation order. However, I do think there is some risk for anyone who entered the US without a visa, as the position of the Trump Administration is that such people are subject to mandatory detention (many federal courts have issued rulings opposing this practice). Also, anyone with a criminal conviction or a pending charge may also be at risk of detention. For those who entered lawfully and have an asylum case pending, I have not heard about such people being detained and I think it should be ok to travel. Things can change rapidly, and so it is a good idea to keep an eye on the news before traveling. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason: Thank you this lucid, informed, and reasoned analysis. You’re the best asylum expert on the country. Georgetown Law an Temple University must be proud.
Hello,
I recently applied online to correct the “resident since” date on my green cardD(back date issue that USICS missed and I requested to fix . USCIS has now issued me a new green card with the correct date, but they did not ask me to return the old card with the incorrect date.
What should I do with the old green card? Should I keep it for records, return it to USCIS, or discard it?
I am not sure what the law says about that. I tend to keep things, as I feel that is safest, but you could call USCIS (800-375-5283) or try the virtual assistant at http://www.uscis.gov to see if they can give you some guidance. I don’t think I would randomly send it in, unless you have a specific address where you can send it. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason,
I have a question! I just submitted my us citizenship N400 form online. I dont have a middle name, so I put none because I did not want to leave it blank. After submitting, it now shows NONE is my middle name. Is it an issue if so how can i correct that.
It should be easy to correct when you go to the interview. In the mean time, you can upload a letter stating that you do not have a middle name. Otherwise, I think there is nothing more to do and I don’t think it will be a problem. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason, i am from one of the ban countries, will that affect the decision of my asylum case in USCIS? I mean can they deny the case due to that reason or refer it to court?! ????
USCIS will treat country of origin as a “significant negative factor” when they make their decision about asylum. In other words, if they think a person qualifies for asylum, they then decide whether the person “deserves” asylum as a matter of discretion. When they make this deciwsion, they weigh all the positives (such as no criminal history, paying taxes, meeting the legal definition of refugee) against all the negatives (criminal issues, immigration violations) and if the positive outweighs the negative, they grant asylum. In almost all cases, the positive has outweighed the negative, but now, they will consider a person home country as a negative factor if they are from a banned country, and so the person may need to submit extra evidence of positive factors in order to be granted asylum. Hopefully, in practice, this will not make much difference and anyone who qualifies for asylum will be granted, but we will have to see how the new rule is being implemented and it is probably a good idea to submit additional evidence of good moral character if you are from a banned country. I wrote more about this on November 26, 2025. Take care, Jason
If a person statutory qualifies for asylum but the adjudicator personally doesn’t like the seeker…maybe because the seeker is Jewish or homosexual, then this seeker will be denied asylum ?
There are legal guidelines for making a discretionary determination; the fact that the decision-maker doesn’t personally like the applicant is not legally relevant and most officers would not make a decision on that basis. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason,
When you say, “it is a good idea to submit additional evidence of good moral character if you are from a banned country,” do you mean that we should submit this evidence proactively after the interview while our decision is pending? Or should we wait for the asylum office to contact us to request additional evidence? I have heard that for other immigration benefits for applicants from banned countries, USCIS has issued an RFE (Request for Evidence) specifically requesting evidence of good moral character.
I guess if you have already been interviewed, it may not make sense to submit such evidence if you were not asked for it, though I suppose that is up to each person to decide. But if you have an upcoming interview, there is no reason not to include some evidence of good moral character as part of the evidence packet. I am not sure how much they will rely on the country of origin as a basis to deny, but until we know more, it probably makes sense to submit at least some evidence of good character for people from banned countries. I tend to agree with you that if they want to deny on this basis alone, they will send an RFE and give the person a chance to respond, but we do not know that for certain. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason
Have immigration court 2027, planning to get married in 2months. Will it affect withdrawing my case if, I still have to wait to apply for marries bases gc.
In this case how long can I wait before submitting for marriage.
If you marry a US citizen and your spouse files for you, there is a process to try to either dismiss the court case and get your green card with USCIS, or get the green card from the court. The case would not automatically be withdrawn and at least until the I-130 petition is approved (which could easily take a year or more), it is very unlikely that the judge would dismiss your case. I wrote more about this on August 8, 2018 (or if you are marrying a person with a green card, I wrote about that on August 28, 2018), but in this situation, you should talk to a lawyer about your specific case to determine the best path forward. Take care, Jason
I want to believe you when you say “the immigration enforcement is making the admin and ???? unpopular” but everyday, I see people clapping for the admin, they are praising the admin for doing such a great job.
I know there are polls showing it looks like there is growing support for anti-????
But…have you ever seen a person who is originally pro-???? be made to anti-???? ?
I never saw one. Never ever. And if it’s just people’s pre-existing belief get reinforced, that actually doesn’t bode well for us. Many people don’t like colored asylum seekers and want them deported , I am not sure if it’s majority but, I would say at least, close to a majority of people are like that. And if we cannot change these peoples’ opinions, I am worried that every time there is a tr*ump – like figure, he will automatically get 45% of the support, guaranteed…he doesn’t even have to fight for it…it’s a huge problem. That puts asylum seekers in danger.
While some people’s opinions will not change, many people do look at events and change their opinions. I think polling shows pretty clearly that ICE’s over-the-top behavior and the killing of innocent people is causing the agency and the President to become less popular and we are now seeing some (minor) attempts by the Administration to de-escalate. Take care, Jason
Hello Jason,
I am a Burmese TPS holder and on Jan 23, a judge paused the termination. Today on USCIS website, the designation is still until today Jan 26. Will I be considered overstayed if I do not leave tonight? It was a very last minute question but I hope you don’t mind clarifying it for me.
Thank you so much.
TPS will continue as long as the judge’s order stands. The judge would not have issued the order unless the judge believes there is a decent chance that the Burmese citizens who filed the case will win. In other words, the judge’s initial evaluation of the case is that DHS violated the law by ending TPS. How this case will ultimately end, we do not know. The question, I suppose, is whether you will be considered out of status after January 26 if DHS ends up winning the case (which they may, especially if it goes to the Supreme Court, which has been deferential to DHS and the President on immigration matters). If that happens, you would be considered to have unlawful presence in the U.S. after January 26 unless you have some other application (such as asylum) pending. If you have 6+ months of unlawful presence and then leave the U.S., you will be barred from returning for 3 years, and if you have a year or more of unlawful presence and you leave, you will be barred from returning for 10 years. Given that the court has paused the end of TPS, I think you would have a strong argument that even if the court eventually allows TPS to end, you should not have any unlawful presence until TPS actually ends. I am not sure about this, and I do not know of any guidance from prior cases, but one way to protect yourself from this possibility is to file for asylum, as a person does not accrue unlawful presence while an asylum application is pending. If you do file for asylum, it is likely you would get an interview quickly, within a few months, and so you should be prepared for that. Take care, Jason
Thank you so much for your answer. If I could not file asylum, should I leave in this case? Just to be sure, even if the judge rules in favor of the tps holders in earlier courts, I will be accruing unlawful presence if I decide to stay, am I correct? What options do I have other than asylum?
I am not sure whether or not you will be accruing unlawful presence under those circumstances. It makes sense that you would not be here unlawfully, as TPS is currently extended. However, I am not sure how that time will be treated when (and if) TPS ends. Even if you are considered unlawfully present, that has no real effect unless you have 6 months or more of unlawful presence. Obviously, if you want to leave, there is no reason to stay, but if you do not want to leave, you are still able to remain here based on TPS. If you are very concerned about unlawful presence, you might have a lawyer check to see if there is any guidance about whether you would accrue unlawful presence during the time TPS has been extended by a court. I have not seen any guidance about that, but it may exist and it would be helpful to know when making your decision. Take care, Jason
Dear Jason,
thank you for your help!
Could you please help to understand what is going on. I hear from the social medial that some lawyers say that if you have had an asylum interview recently, no decision yet, then check your A number in some court system. Allegedly, because it seems to some lawyers that USCIS does not notify the petitioner about the decision made simply forwarding the case to the immigration court. Is this accurate? Have you heard anything like that and what does ‘checking in the the court system’ mean? Otherwise, isn’t all on pending now, as far as I understand?
Thank you for your help!
Son Du.
All asylum decisions are on hold. I wrote more about this on December 3, 2025, but the purported reason is to improve the security background check process. We do not know how long the hold will last, or if it will be lifted for all countries at the same time or just for some countries. The asylum offices can complete all the work in a case, but they cannot issue a decision. I do not know, but I suppose it is possible that cases they plan to deny will appear in the immigration court system, even if the decision has not been issued. I have not seen that personally, but these days, anything is possible. You can check that if you follow the link under Resources called EOIR Case Status, and entering your Alien number and country of origin. Take care, Jason
Hey Jason,
I’ve been hearing conflicting advice about how to interact with ICE officials, should a person remain silent, or try to explain their current immigration status? It’s worrying since the question asked first is “Are you a US citizen?”
I’ve won asylum and have a pending I-130 (immediate relative to a PR), entered on a visa, no criminal record, tickets…etc
I’m not sure if carrying I-94, or original EAD is a good idea since I saw reports of those being taken way, lost, or destroyed while being detained.
If a lawyer get notified of the ongoing detainment, how fast could there be an intervention? I heard of reports about PR with no criminal history leaving a month after getting detained.
grateful to be given asylum in the US,
Thank you for helping immigrant Jason
The more you exercise your right, the more ???? will retaliate and you will end up with more suffering. So sometimes, I feel the “advice” circulated by asylum advocates are not very good.
I have not heard about any asylees being detained, except in a few cases where they had a criminal issue. However, I suppose it could happen given how aggressive ICE is being. If you have a copy of your asylum approval available, plus your work permit, that should be enough to protect you. If you were detained for some reason, a lawyer can intervene pretty quickly, although if you already have a lawyer, that person can probably take actions faster than if you need to hire a new lawyer. I do think it is unlikely that someone in your situation would be detained, but it does not hurt to have a plan in place and people available to help (such as a friend or family member who has access to your documents and can contact a lawyer), just in case. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason,
Thank you for your continued support of the asylum community. I am preparing to file my N-400 application and wanted to ask for your advice.
Do you recommend filing online or submitting a paper application?
Thank you very much for your guidance.
Best regards,
Gr8ful
I wish I could also naturalize
It’s up to you, but it seems to me that the online application is easier, a bit less expansive ($50 less), you get the receipt immediately, and you can more easily upload documents to the case. In short, I think the online system is better overall. From my perspective, the main disadvantage is that the system to coordinate between the applicant and the lawyer is cumbersome, but that is really not a big deal (and is irrelevant if you do not have a lawyer). Take care, Jason
I have known that my detractors have been trying to locate me using private investigator and share my locations to INS…so that they can arrest me and detain/deport me…
How do I stop their collusion ?
They have been accusing me of crimes so that ins could arrest me and before I have a chance to call them out for their perjurious accusation…i will be removed…that’s what they are banking on….
I think you need to talk to a lawyer who does civil and/or criminal cases about how to respond to these people. Take care, Jason
There is a video on instagram showing ice is detaining a legally entry asylum seeker, and their direction is hoping by arresting sooner they get their court dates sooner. So are they arresting asylum seeker with valid EAd and entered legally now? How can we protect ourselves? https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT2ny6IDYqC/?igsh=MTB1Mmk1YXJhYmwweg==
Because I have been hearing more and more cases like this.
Is the common claim that “entry with valid visa with no criminal record and more than two years and before 2019 Nov” still generally not detained or unheard of ?
Shouldn’t I be worried ?
It is certainly possible that an asylum seeker who entered legally and has a pending case could have been detained, but I have not heard an example of that yet where there were not other issues, such as a criminal history or a prior deportation order. I do think it is a good idea to be prepared just in case you are detained, even though, again, I think for people who entered legally, filed affirmatively, and have no criminal history, I think that is still very unlikely. I last wrote about this on December 3, 2025 (near the end of that post) and maybe that would give you some ideas. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason
If asylum seekers with pending asylum cases are being stopped by ICE. Are they going to deport us even though we show them that we entered here with a visa and filed for asylum in a timely manner?
I have my two kids if my husband or me or both get arrested we are worried they wont allow us to see our kids.
I want to know what can we do in this case we have no family here.
It is better to have an attorney? Do we need to pay him and keep him on hold or how does it even work i have no clue.
If they dont deport us but arrest us and we show them we are no criminal history here, but a pending asylum case are they going to release my husband or me ? or will they still deport?
we dont have our pasports with us what is going to happen in this case?
Please Jason help us and give us some advice
It’s a good idea to have a contingency plan.
My observation is that if you are detained, it’s not very likely you will be released on your own cognizance.
I also want to ask what can be done here.
Can immigration lawyers really do anything ? I feel they perform better with EOIRs. For things like detention, I feel that sometimes they are not proficient or quick enough. ERO is very fast. So…a lot of times I hear that when immigration lawyers get to the detainee, they are already removed…
But the expectation is that if one is detained, it will be very hard to get out, even with a lawyer. Lawyers don’t have the authority to override immigration judge or DHS’s custody determination. If a person can easily get out after detention, they wouldn’t have been detained in the first place. There is a reason why someone is detained and someone isn’t …
I have not seen examples where ICE is detaining people who entered with a visa and who have a pending asylum case, and so I think you should be relatively safe. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to have a plan in place, just in case, whether that is with a lawyer or with a friend or family member who can assist if you are detained. The advantage of having a lawyer is that the lawyer will have the basic info about you, so they can assist more quickly if anything happens. But again, given the situation that you describe, it does not seem very likely that you would be detained. Take care, Jason
thank you for your response jason. I appreciate ur help and support to our entire community.
Hello Jason, hope you are doing well. It says on USCIS that anyone that has pending asylum case since 2024 needs to pay annual fee, but when i type my A and case number it says annual fee isn’t due at this time. I filed for asylum paper application in 2019. Do you think its normal or is there any other way to pay for it?
If the case is with USCIS, you pay on the USCIS web page, but if it is with the Immigration Court, you need to pay on the EOIR webpage. Otherwise, if the system will not let you pay, it is probably because of a court order temporarily blocking the fees (you can see more here: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/court-order-on-annual-asylum-fee-notices). You might just keep a screen shot of your efforts to pay, so you have that if it is ever needed. Otherwise, make sure your address is updated with USCIS and/or the court, so if they resume collecting the fee, you will receive the notice. Take care, Jason
I mean the only way I can think of is to keep checks and balances….
How do we make sure the congress’s house and senate become democratic ? Governorship and state legislatures are also important.
I am worried that alito and Thomas will strategically time their retirement…
It’s now $102.
I am financially struggling so I want to ask…
If a person really cannot afford to pay $102…
Will the asylum case be just dismissed/closed ?
If later the applicant pays the overdue balance…can the asylum application be reinstated ?
Not all asylum seekers can afford those fees
It is really not clear what will happen if a person cannot pay the fee. I suppose the case could be dismissed, but exactly how that will look, I do not know, as I have not seen it. I also think there may be a court order placing the payments on hold at the moment, but I forget whether that has been lifted or not. Take care, Jason
I have been thinking about whether I should post this.
But, I think I still should…
Asylum annual fee is a serious topic because if not paid, it looks like it will have consequences.
And some people really cannot pay…
I thought asylum advocates regularly have meetings with DHS ? Has nobody asked for clarifications ?
I do not know that there are any more meetings with DHS. The asylum fee is currently on hold, however, due to a court order (https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/court-order-on-annual-asylum-fee-notices). Take care, Jason
Hey. How are jason. I have question. In 2014, I entered the United States without a visa and filed an application for asylum in the same year.
I have been married to a U.S. citizen since 2019, and our marriage is ongoing.
I obtained my lawful permanent resident status (Green Card) through asylum on May 30, 2023.
Based on these facts, I would like to ask when I become eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship.
In my case, does the 3-year rule or the 5-year rule for naturalization apply? Thank you for answer.
The 3-year rule only applies if you got the green card based on marriage to a US citizen. If you got the GC based on asylum, the card should have been back-dated one year, and you can apply for US citizenship 5 years after the date on the card (so, four years after the card was issued), assuming you are otherwise eligible (enough time in the US, no disqualifying criminal issues, etc.). Also, you can mail the N-400 application up to 90 days before you are actually eligible to naturalize. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason, in cases when ICE detains people with pending cases – my understanding is that they can do that only if there is a reasonable suspicion of flight risk, but recent arrests show ICE is detaining everyone, my question – how is this not violating 5th amendment, and why no one is filling a class action suit to challenge this practice?
Hi Jason,
Thanks for all your support, question, is it safe to travel to third country for visiting family with RTD that will expired in two months with I-485 pending also i am from one the 19 ban countries, what is your suggestion??, the reason is if i do not go visit them and RTD expires just god knows when i will get the new RTD to be able to go visit them, thank you so much in advance.
I have not heard about anyone with a valid RTD having trouble when returning to the US, and the travel ban does not apply to asylees or refugees. That said, I would keep an eye on the news, as the government keeps trying tricky ways to harm non-citizens. As of now, though, I think it should be ok to travel as long as you return while the RTD was valid (though of course, it is best not to return to your home country, as that could raise issues about the validity of your original asylum claim). Take care, Jason
Hi Jason!
I live in Minnesota and i would like to share a little bit what were experiencing here. I know so many people have been watching videos on social medias but what we are currently experiencing is nothing like Illinois or California raids,Minnesota looks like an occupied state.With 3,000 ICE agents sent in recent weeks,the entire immigrant community is feeling intimidated and most people document /undocumented are living in fear.ICE agents are using drones before doing raids in job places,houses and apartment complex.They are reading license plates in big parking lots to identify owners of cars ,pulling black and brown people over to show documents,arresting people on side walks ,arresting people inside stores,blocking traffic to control ID’s, arresting people when pumping gas, arresting parents at school bus stops,requesting proof of citizenship or residency in restaurants.Minnesotans are fed up but there is no hope that anybody will stop what happening soon,reason why communities,churches and activists are fighting for their loved ones and neighbors from being transferred to Texas detention centers.Based on numbers arrests reported on medias ,the majority of people detained in Minnesota have pending cases(marriage based,asylum,refugees waiting for green card, international students with OPT or expired visa) because the don’t care about work permit or reading any other USCIS receipts.So, i will encourage all my fellow immigrants to have lawyers the time is not on our side. Remember you can be detained but not deported if you have a path also well represented. Please Don’t give up on your pending cases! Don’t left fear control you! Stay strong and keep fighting!
Thank you for this. I have been hearing similar stories from others who are on the ground there. I have visited fascist countries before, like Syria under Assad and Algeria under Bouteflika, and what I see in MN is much worse. At least under the dictatorships, you could keep your head down and do what you needed to do to survive, but in MN, it seems that if you are the wrong color (not white) or have an accent, you are in danger. How and when that will end, we do not know, but the people of MN should be very proud for standing up for themselves, their neighbors, and the rest of us. Take care, Jason
Hi Jason, in cases when ICE detains people with pending cases – my understanding is that they can do that only if there is a reasonable suspicion of flight risk, but recent arrests show ICE is detaining everyone, my question – how is this not violating 5th amendment, and why no one is filling a class action suit to challenge this practice?
Non-citizens have less rights than citizens, though they do have the right to due process of law. That does not necessarily stop them from being detained. Aside from refugees being detained in Minnesota as part of the new re-evaluation of refugee claims, I have not heard about asylees or refugees being detained where they do not have convictions and they entered the US with a visa. There is a lot of chaos now, and so we do not know for sure, but at least so far, I have not seen that on any of my list serves. Also, there are many lawsuits to get individual people released and there are also lawsuits to challenge ICE’s procedures more generally. How those will be decided, I do not know, but one problem is that ICE has a lot of authority to detain non-citizens who do not have lawful status in the US. Take care, Jason
You’re out of your goddamn mind if you think Minnesota under Trump is somehow worse than Syria under Assad. That’s insulting to every Syrian asylum seeker that’s ever come to this country. Honestly reading through your posts, you have an extremely warped view of America, and a naive view of the rest of the world.
That’s a fair point – my post was badly worded. I was referring to the day-to-day situation on the street at the time I was there and I should have made that clear. Obviously, Syria is far worse in terms of mass murders and detentions, especially during the civil war (and so was Algeria). My point was that during normal times in a fascist country, you can generally go about your business as long as you don’t offend the regime, whereas in Minnesota, life is being greatly disrupted and has become chaotic, and people are being targeted based on their race or perceived national origin. Take care, Jason