A recently published book written by David Ngaruri Kenney and Philip Schrag entitled, “Asylum Denied: A Refugee’s Struggle for Safety in America” is discussed here by co-author Schrag.
The article provides a look into the growing field of immigration law (we mentioned that previously here). Certainly Kenney’s story is a compelling one, but I will bet there is zero mention in the book of any refugees or asylees who have committed serious crimes or found to be connected to terrorism and deported. It is likely all about how difficult it is for good people to stay in the US.
Here is what Schrag of Georgetown’s Center for Applied Legal Studies says is the definition of an asylee:
A person can apply for asylum if he has come to the United States either legally or without permission[ed: illegally], and says that he is afraid to go back to his home country because of a fear of persecution on account of his race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
But, after leading us to believe we are a mean country that turns away asylum seekers, like Kenney, he says this:
We’ve come a very long way since then [Democratic President Roosevelt turned back Jews escaping Hitler]. In 1980, we passed a Refugee Act, and now we’re one of the most welcoming countries in the world at a time when other countries are again turning away refugees. We resettle a lot of people who are in need. Refugees are about 10 percent, maybe 15 percent if you include asylum winners, of all U.S. immigration. In 2006, we resettled about 40,000 refugees from United Nations camps around the world, and granted asylum to another 30,000 or so additional refugees. So that’s a pretty large number.
Yes it is! Holy cow, I had no idea that almost as many people were granted asylum as were brought as refugees. All those 30,000 came here somehow and then said, now can I stay, and we said yes! Asylees receive all the benefits that refugees receive (except airfare since they got here on their own).
30,000! Maybe this book could be more accurately titled: “Asylum granted: Refugees successful in getting into the US.” Oh, but of course they wouldn’t title it that way, who would buy the book if America was described as decent and “welcoming.”