The Story Of a Political Asylee In The United States

Like the refugees The International Refugee Committee works with, asylees must prove to an INS official that they have a well-founded fear of persecution and cannot return to their country of origin. The only difference between a refugee and an asylee is where they apply — refugees are outside the U.S, while an asylee is someone who has entered the U.S. or is at a port of entry.

Most asylees are unable to secure legal representation and face the daunting task of defending their case before INS on their own. The process can take several months, during which time they are eligible for little assistance. Although they can apply for work authorization, it takes INS a minimum of six months to approve (or deny) the application.

Some asylees are detained while their case is pending; if successful with their asylum claim they may be released with no idea of where to turn for help. Some are lucky to have family or friends in the U.S. who can help them.

The IRC is able to offer assistance to individuals once they have been granted asylum. This is the story of Dream Bultongez, one of the nearly twenty asylees it had worked with so far this year.

He also received assistance prior to his grant of asylum from one of our peer agencies, Human Rights Initiative (http://www.hrionline.org/).