Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Deporting Gays to Iran

The Obama administration has been bending over backwards to avoid deporting Guantanamo prisoners to countries where they might be mistreated.  That's why we didn't sent the Uighurs to China, even though the Chinese wanted them and it would have been to the U.S. advantage diplomatically. But for some reason, that same administration is scheduled to deport a gay Iranian illegal immigrant back to Iran -- where openly gay people are killed. You'd think this would be a clear case for asylum. There's no question that Iran persecutes homosexuals. But that's not how our bureaucracy operates. 
Abdollahi's case for asylum is not cut and dry: As an undocumented U.S. resident for twenty years, he missed the one-year window of opportunity by law to proactively apply for protected status. He now faces the more difficult task of appealing defensively before an immigration judge.
This man, aside from being gay, has been in the U.S. for twenty years. His parents brought him here when he was four years old. Why is this someone who needs to be deported, let alone to a country that might kill him for his sexual orientation? Is there any better example of the insanity of our immigration laws and bureaucracy? Rather than fighting deportation, Abdollahi should be on a fast-track to U.S. citizenship

5 comments:

  1. Could it be that the eyes of the all-important International Community are not on this case as they are on Gitmo?

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  2. Yeah, of course a significant part of the international community thinks Iran is just great.

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  3. I don't think it's insane; I think it's evil. People in power rarely if ever give a shit about anything but staying in power. I'm just hoping I can live out the rest of my life before our whole freaking system comes crashing down.

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  4. You'd think even bureaucrats could figure this out: brought to America when four years old, found out he was attracted to men - and was an illegal - and would therefore die if returning to Iran... when he was sixteen.

    Did his one-year window to apply for protected status take effect when he was 4 or when he reached the age of majority?

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  5. I'm not sure. You would think the government wouldn't expect a little kid to apply for asylum, but then again this is the government we are talking about.

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