An appeals court in Richmond, Virginia has granted asylum to a man who says his treatment for mental health problems in Tanzania amounted to persecution. The general understanding of what constitutes a legitimate claim for asylum usually contains these elements:
The refugee/asylum seeker must demonstrate a “well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
No doubt the applicant in this case was fearful, but his complaint does not fit the definition. There is, however, an ambitious movement afoot by immigration lawyers to expand the definition beyond its original intent. One could conclude from this case that anyone treated badly for myriad reasons in their home country was eligible for asylum if they could get themselves into the US in order to apply.
One thing that struck me in this news is that the man was denied in lower courts and the Court of Appeals split, so one of the judges wasn’t buying the story and there must be much more to this case then we are being told.
From UPI. (Hat tip: Pungentpeppers)
RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 22 (UPI) — A federal appellate court panel has ruled a bipolar man who said he was repeatedly tortured in Tanzania should qualify for asylum in the United States.
The Homeland Security Department tried to deport Tumaini Temu back to Tanzania in 2010, four years after his temporary visa expired. [For what reason did we originally grant him a temporary visa to get into the US?—ed]
Temu applied for asylum and claimed he was persecuted in his home country due to his mental illness, which is considered demon possession in Tanzania, Courthouse News Service reported.
An immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals denied his application, but a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., reversed the decision on a split vote.
[….]
Temu came to the United States after his family rejected him, and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Get ready for a parade of crazy asylum-seeking Tanzanians in need of meds through Obamacare! And, just a reminder, once granted asylum these new “refugees” are given access to all of the social services (welfare programs) available to refugees.
Endnote: I just now searched around for more on the treatment of mental health problems in Tanzania and in Africa generally and note that there is much happening there, and throughout Africa, to help those with mental illnesses. We don’t need to be moving them to America!
See our Health issues category (here) for more on refugee mental health problems.