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Study Guide Explores
Biblical Truths About
Refugees. To order, click here
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Refugees Who Have Been Denied Admission To The United States
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Click on the links below for examples of refugees who have been denied admission to the United States because of the overly broad material support bar on admission
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Liberian refugee forced to be a sexual slave by rebel groups
During the war in Liberia, LURD rebels came to Mrs. J's home, shot and killed her father in front of her and then raped her repeatedly. The rebels then abducted Mrs. J, held her hostage, and forced her to perform a variety of household tasks, such as cooking and laundry. After several weeks in captivity, Mrs. J escaped and made her way to a refugee camp, where she currently remains.
The tasks Mrs. J performed for the rebels (i.e. doing laundry) were considered "material support" and the case was placed on hold.
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Sierra Leonean mother and daughter fleeing sexual violence by rebel groups
Mrs. D's house was attacked by rebels. She and her daughter were repeatedly struck with machetes, raped, and held captive in their own home for days. The daughter has scars from the machete wounds.
Mrs. D's resettlement was placed on hold for material support concerns, on the grounds that the family had provided housing to the rebels.
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Sudanese held hostage by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army
A Sudanese man, Mr. R, was taken prisoner by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA), beaten, and enslaved. He escaped after a month, but was soon arrested, beaten and held for several days by government forces who accused him of being a member of the SPLA. When he was released he attempted to find his family, who had fled to Khartoum after his wife had been raped by government security forces when Mr. R was in jail. Mr. R was again arrested by government forces but escaped during a firefight. His entire family fled the country because both sides in the civil war were looking for him.
Mr. R was turned away from the U.S. because he had transported weapons for the SPLA when he was held enslaved by them – an activity considered "material support" of a terrorist
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Somali woman who paid ransom for her son's release
Ms. Z, a Somali, was at home when she and her family were attacked by United Somali Congress (USC) members. They shot and killed Ms. Z's husband and daughter, looted the house of valuables, and took her son away in a car. Three months later, Ms. Z secured her son's release by paying the USC members $2,000 in cash. One week after her son was released, the attackers returned to her house, beat her and her son, raped her, and told them to leave their house. Ms. Z and her son fled the country, but were turned away from the U.S.
Ms. Z's case was put on hold because the valuables taken by the USC and the ransom paid to secure Ms. Z's release are considered "material support" to terrorism.
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Montagnard man who supported U.S. troops
In 1975, Mr. M, a Montagnard man, joined FULRO, an organization that supported U.S. troops in the Vietnam War. He was arrested after only a few months and was detained for two years. After his release, he began working for FULRO again, delivering messages for them, while farming his own land in the meantime. He was arrested several times. When FULRO ceased to exist in 1992 he took up work as a logger in the forest. In 1996, Mr. M received correspondence from the United States requesting that he take up his old job collecting information regarding villagers that were opposed to the Vietnamese authorities. The man did as requested, but after several more arrests he fled to Cambodia.
Mr. M. was turned away from the United States because of his membership in FULRO – defined as a terrorist organization in immigration law, even though it has never been officially designated a terrorist organization by the State Department and even though it supported and was supported by the United States during the Vietnam War.
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Burmese in the Tham Hin Refugee Camp
Mr. K studied at a college in India. After his return, he became a teacher. In 1960, the Burmese government took over the school system. The man, unhappy with the Burmese government's handling of the schools, relocated to a Karen National Union (KNU)-controlled area in 1974. That same year, he joined the KNU and underwent military training. Although he was technically a KNU soldier, he was only in the auxiliary army and continued to work as an English teacher. He was never involved in any battles. When the Burmese military invaded the KNU-controlled area in 1997, he fled to Thailand with the rest of his village. He is not eligible for the waiver because of his 20-year membership in the KNU.
Mr. P was a member of the KNU's army and served as a private. He never saw any active combat, but stepped on a landmine while on routine patrol in 1982. His right foot was amputated, and he was transferred and made a cook. He continued to serve as a cook until he fled Burma in 1997. He has a wife and four children. He is not eligible for the waiver because of his membership in the KNU.
Mr. C joined the KNU in 1983 at the age of 15. He was a guard for a KNU military base, but never engaged in combat. He never carried a weapon and only performed office work as a soldier. He is not eligible for the waiver because he is deemed a member of the KNU.
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[admission denied] |
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