Political Asylum

In an embarrassment for the Clinton Administration, a Haitian already granted political asylum in the United States was arrested at the Port-au-Prince airport as he tried to leave the country, the State Department acknowledged Friday. Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the man, whose name was withheld, was arrested on charges of desertion from the Haitian military. Boucher said the arrest occurred even though the individual was escorted by American diplomats.

A Congolese woman who was repeatedly raped by prison officials allegedly investigating the assassination of President Laurent Kabila has been granted political asylum in the U.S., 16 months after her bid was initially denied. A federal immigration judge in San Antonio awarded asylum last week to the woman identified as Monique M, whose full name is being withheld to protect her and family members who remain in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly known as Zaire.

A continuing migration of refugees to the United States and a critical staffing shortage within the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service has created an unprecedented backlog of political asylum cases, particularly in Los Angeles where the problem has reached record levels. According to INS estimates, the number of pending asylum cases has grown from 72,000 to more than 204,000 in the last 2 1/2 years.

A federal judge Monday found reasonable grounds to deport Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, whose followers were among those arrested in the bombing of the World Trade Center and in an alleged conspiracy to blow up the United Nations and other key New York sites. U.S. District Judge Charles L. Brieant in White Plains dismissed an appeal of the deportation order in a 48-page ruling upholding the government's decision to oust the blind cleric as "a danger to the security of the United States."

A federal immigration judge in Los Angeles granted political asylum Tuesday to seven family members of the convicted assassin of Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio. The ruling closes--at least for now--a chapter in a cross-border subplot, but does nothing to clarify the shadowy maze of intrigue behind the slaying.

"Please help me! My name is Vasile Boboaca (and) in my country my life and my family life is in danger . . . I want to emigrate in U.S. America. I trust in god! Long live U.S. America." --Note passed April 3 from Romanian Vasile Boboaca to INS official in San Pedro. Four months ago, Vasile Boboaca finally arrived in America. And ever since, the Romanian sailor has seen his dream of freedom turn into a nightmare of detention.

An immigration judge granted political asylum Thursday to an Iraqi refugee who fled his homeland with the help of the CIA, only to be thrown behind bars when he reached the United States. After 15 months in captivity, Mohammed Jode Qaisar, 30, walked out of a U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service detention center in San Pedro a free man, eager to join his wife and four children in Salt Lake City.

Four years ago, Gregorio's quest was to travel 1,000 miles from his home in central Mexico to the United States, find a job and save a little money for his family. His struggle now is simply to avoid being deported. Desperate to work here legally, Gregorio last year sought out an immigration consultant, who assured him he could get proper work papers for $500. But to get the work papers for Gregorio, the consultant filed an application for U.S.

Two Chinese nationals from Fujian province who were smuggled to the West Coast on filthy, crowded ships have won political asylum, the first of the recent wave of Chinese immigrants to win their freedom in Southern California, according to local immigration attorneys. One man who was released Wednesday said he was persecuted for violating China's one-child policy. A successful asylum application based on the one-child policy could indicate that scores more Chinese stand a chance of legal U.S.

U.S. immigration authorities Thursday outlined a series of changes that are being contemplated as part of a White House-directed comprehensive reform of the process for granting political asylum to foreign nationals who say they are fleeing persecution. The prospective measures were detailed two days after President Clinton called for an overhaul of the beleaguered political asylum process, which authorities say has been abused by job-seekers, suspected terrorists and others.