Potential Asylum Seeker

[JessDak 27]

Coming from the Bahamas I can attest to what OP is saying. There is definitely palpable tension when it comes to the whole Haitian-Bahamian issue.

A lot of people on here are saying that OP just fears 'discomfort' when he needs to fear death in order to qualify for asylum (which I wouldn't be surprised if he did fear death with what I've heard about our detention center). However, under the USCIS website it states that: "Every year people come to the United States seeking protection because they have suffered persecution or fear that they will suffer persecution due to:

• Race
• Religion
• ​Nationality
• Membership in a particular social group
• Political opinion
  (https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/asylum)

And persecution does not equal death. Persecution is defined as 'hostility and ill-treatment'

This is not something I'm an expert on but just just going off of definition and my knowledge on how Haitians and Haitian-Bahamians are treated in the Bahamas it definitely fits the requirements. I'm not sure however if USCIS will grant you Asylum, or just suggest you move to Haiti (as Boiler suggested). Maybe you can expand on that idea?

After reading up on Asylum a bit it doesn't seem as clear-cut as other ways of immigration. It seems like it's less of 'do you fit the requirements' and more of 'does the officer reading your application feel you have a case'. I would definitely suggest speaking with a lawyer (particularly one who has dealt with asylum cases).

As another Bahamian in MN I'd like to know how this turns out if you do seek legal advice. Please keep us updated.

[Jawaree 718]

First time poster here.

I am a Bahamian citizen currently living in Minnesota and working on an OPT STEM extension which ends in about 8 months. I am dreading the idea of going back to the

Bahamas and so I am considering the possibility of filing for asylum. A close friend of mine has been pushing me to look into it as she thinks that I may have a case. I really#

wanted to get an outside opinion as to whether or not I possibly have a case before wasting my (and USCIS's) time.

To start off with. I am a Bahamian citizen but I am of Haitian-decent. To anybody unfamiliar with the Haitian-Bahamian atmosphere, to put it simply, Haitians immigrate to the Bahamas (legally and illegally) in large numbers, and as a result Bahamians in general tend to have a feeling of animosity when it comes to Haitian-Bahamians. My parents# came to the Bahamas to work and live on valid working visas. My sister and I were born and raised in the Bahamas. However, due to Bahamian law we were not able to apply for Bahamian citizenship until we turned 18 (my sister applied when she was 18 and is almost 22 and is still waiting to hear back regarding her case). I was fortunate to be approved relatively quickly and was able to obtain a passport, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to attend college outside of the Bahamas.

Because of the negative attitudes towards people of Haitian origin in the society, Haitians (and those of Haitian origin) tend to experience widespread discrimination. I have several personal stories about my own experiences along with those of some of my family members and friends. Immigration officers are known to pick out people who have Haitian features and if those individuals are not walking around with work permits/residency papers (which isn't all that safe) they are usually immediately bused to the local detention center to wait for these documents to be brought in. And if not, deportation is very likely on the horizon, which could mean (for someone like my sister) being sent to a country that you've never stepped foot on.

Not only does the law make it difficult for people like me who are of Haitian origin, but the atmosphere of living there is extremely tense. 2015 was the most deadly year in Bahamian History. The per capita murder rate is 44.4 per 100,000 (in perspective, the US per capita murder rate is 4.5 per 100,000) To live there is scary in itself, and adding that a majority of Bahamians hold open animosity towards people of Haitian decent makes it much worse. Further, the government officials don't offer too much help to people who suffer prosecution. Recently, a member of parliament stated openly in an interview that he wanted to put all gay and trans-sexual people on a deserted island to 'die-out' and no other government official stood out against his disgusting comment (just as an example).

Furthermore, the recent natural disaster that occurred - Hurricane Matthew - caused extensive damage to my family home in the Bahamas. This is what really drew me to consider the possibility of asylum. The idea of leaving Minnesota to go to the Bahamas in a few months has me caused me even more dread and I worry as I think of what life will be like if I have to go back. After living in Minnesota for the last few years, I have been able to live life with much less fear in everyday life. That's something I have grown to treasure as the idea of returning to the Bahamas really scares me and at times causes me to fear for my life.

I am not Bahamian but knows this much it most certainly will be a frivilous asylum petition that will work against you for life...I know

a bit about thepl ace & have spent numerous summers there as a boy, My aunt was married to an immigration officer, He was stationed

at Kemp Rd, Eluethra, Freeport & Bimini i have been there,They uses US$ and wages are not great as the US, but they do have better

earnings than many other Islands. .Globally crime has gotten out of control.

Bahamas especially New Providence is/was over-ran by Haitians & I do see prejudices towards them,also the Bahamian think having non

speaking Ehglish ppl coming in did not help their country,also the same thing as the US where you find many anti-immigrant ppl

No way would the US grant a Bahamian asylum except their life was in jepordy from the Gov (not likely) gays can come & go, there's just no

reason.holding a Haitian PP says nothing , its announced today the Obama Admin has put a pause on the HP for Haitians at the Tijuana gate,

Hillary wont re-instate that & Trump scheesh. My aunt is retired now & complains about crimes, the Haitian ,Jamaicans & few Turks & Caicos folks

are there, things are a bit harder and Bay street a bit crowdier however its not too bad in the Bahamas.

Please dont be misguided try to get a work permit , do NOT follow the wrong advice which you wont be able to undo. The Bahamas is a different

place from Haiti too, Ask your employer or other companies to sponsor you

Edited October 24, 2016 by Jawaree

[Everlast 49]

First time poster here.

I am a Bahamian citizen currently living in Minnesota and working on an OPT STEM extension which ends in about 8 months. I am dreading the idea of going back to the Bahamas and so I am considering the possibility of filing for asylum. A close friend of mine has been pushing me to look into it as she thinks that I may have a case. I really wanted to get an outside opinion as to whether or not I possibly have a case before wasting my (and USCIS's) time.

To start off with. I am a Bahamian citizen but I am of Haitian-decent. To anybody unfamiliar with the Haitian-Bahamian atmosphere, to put it simply, Haitians immigrate to the Bahamas (legally and illegally) in large numbers, and as a result Bahamians in general tend to have a feeling of animosity when it comes to Haitian-Bahamians. My parents came to the Bahamas to work and live on valid working visas. My sister and I were born and raised in the Bahamas. However, due to Bahamian law we were not able to apply for Bahamian citizenship until we turned 18 (my sister applied when she was 18 and is almost 22 and is still waiting to hear back regarding her case). I was fortunate to be approved relatively quickly and was able to obtain a passport, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to attend college outside of the Bahamas.

Because of the negative attitudes towards people of Haitian origin in the society, Haitians (and those of Haitian origin) tend to experience widespread discrimination. I have several personal stories about my own experiences along with those of some of my family members and friends. Immigration officers are known to pick out people who have Haitian features and if those individuals are not walking around with work permits/residency papers (which isn't all that safe) they are usually immediately bused to the local detention center to wait for these documents to be brought in. And if not, deportation is very likely on the horizon, which could mean (for someone like my sister) being sent to a country that you've never stepped foot on.

Not only does the law make it difficult for people like me who are of Haitian origin, but the atmosphere of living there is extremely tense. 2015 was the most deadly year in Bahamian History. The per capita murder rate is 44.4 per 100,000 (in perspective, the US per capita murder rate is 4.5 per 100,000) To live there is scary in itself, and adding that a majority of Bahamians hold open animosity towards people of Haitian decent makes it much worse. Further, the government officials don't offer too much help to people who suffer prosecution. Recently, a member of parliament stated openly in an interview that he wanted to put all gay and trans-sexual people on a deserted island to 'die-out' and no other government official stood out against his disgusting comment (just as an example).

Furthermore, the recent natural disaster that occurred - Hurricane Matthew - caused extensive damage to my family home in the Bahamas. This is what really drew me to consider the possibility of asylum. The idea of leaving Minnesota to go to the Bahamas in a few months has me caused me even more dread and I worry as I think of what life will be like if I have to go back. After living in Minnesota for the last few years, I have been able to live life with much less fear in everyday life. That's something I have grown to treasure as the idea of returning to the Bahamas really scares me and at times causes me to fear for my life.

Speak to someone more knowledgeable than most of us in here. You may have a case. Who knows? Do not let the advise you get here dissuade you. Kind Regards!

[clearbahamianmn 0]

Thank you all for the advice and questions. As some of you have advised, I think it would be a good idea seek experienced counsel on the matter.

I’ll try to address the questions that you guys have posed.

Regarding the H1-B: I will look into this further and ask my employer as I did not think I had a chance of being sponsored.

My fear of being black in Minneapolis is negligible to my fear of what my life will be if I return to the Bahamas. I do agree that people of darker skin tones may face discrimination in Minneapolis, albeit structural and overt, but again this pales in comparison to being of Haitian descent in the Bahamas.

In regards to those asking if I could not just move to Haiti: I never really gave it much thought considering I’ve never been to the country. I just so happen to be of Haitian descent. If I were to seek asylum from my home country I would prefer it be a country I at least have some familiarity. Further, since I am a naturalized Bahamian citizen, I had to renounce any claim to Haitian citizenship (the Bahamas does not allow dual citizenship).

[Boiler 46,311]

I just looked up and Minneapolis and #BLM and there were LOTS of stories, you may have been lucky so far.

[Sandra G. 5,079]

I don't believe you have an asylum case, and the asylum applicants must apply within one-year of their last entry into the United States.USCIS states " EXCEPTIONS TO THE ONE-YEAR RULE If an applicant did not apply for asylum within one year from the last arrival in the United States, he or she may still be eligible to apply for asylum if the applicant establishes that there are changed circumstances materially affecting the applicant’s eligibility for asylum or extraordinary circumstances related to the delay in filing. Once an applicant establishes the existence of such a changed or extraordinary circumstance, the applicant must demonstrate that the application was filed within a reasonable amount of time given those circumstances".

The person can apply for asylum if he/she was persecuted in the home country or the person fears persecution if forced to return back home. You have already documents from the Bahamas, but how could you be persecuted there? would you suffer torture, imprisonment or violence there? if you answer YES you might have a case for asylum, but then you have to prove an extraordinary circumstance related to the delay in filing.