Deported, to be Persecuted Again?

Mark Absher

11-4-10

4:15PM

The Correa’s are a family who fled Argentina 10 years ago to find a better life in the United States. In Argentina they were harassed, for working for an American company at the time, and for being Mormon. They received taunts when in Argentina, including the wonderfully original “Go away Yankee Mormon.” (Note sarcasm) This is a family of hard working, family oriented people, a husband and wife and two teenage children, ages 14 and 17. So in order to have a more normative life they moved to the United States on a 90 day visa waiver. This waiver, unbeknownst to them, left them with little avenue for permanent residency and in limbo while their appeals to stay remained.
The fault to be levied at this family is that they did not follow protocol to attain residency. They were no informed that they would have a case to claim asylum, and they did so after living here for two years. Unfortunately petitions for asylum must be filed within the first year of living in the country. So this petition was rejected. This is just another example of the flaw in our system. Those who are being persecuted are the ones we should welcome in this country. As we discussed in class, we have such stringent rules on immigration, asylum and the like that it is difficult to assimilate these displaced ones who want to be part of our country. Dr. Sills mentioned how those we take in asylum we give a few months of rent and bills and then basically throw them to the wolves. Families like the Correa’s are an asset to our country and we are sending them now back to be persecuted and downtrodden.




http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700078471/Family-who-fled-anti-Mormon-anti-American-sentiment-will-be-deported-Thursday.html