Woman from African nation faces deportation - asylum appeals failed; says she faces death at home

The Dallas Morning News ^ | May 10, 2003 | By FRANK TREJO / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

Woman from African nation faces deportation

Asylum appeals have failed; Togo native says she faces death at home

05/10/2003

By FRANK TREJO / The Dallas Morning News

Ablavi Haden, a 53-year-old woman from Togo who says she faces death in her home country in Africa, is again in the custody of immigration authorities and faces imminent deportation.

Mrs. Haden, featured in articles in The Dallas Morning News in 1999 because she had been jailed for several months even though she had never been charged with a crime, has been seeking political asylum in the United States since 1996.

But her appeals have been rejected, and earlier this month, immigration officials again arrested her, according to her attorney and family.

Jovite Larroy-Haden, Mrs. Haden's daughter, says that although her mother has an appeal pending before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, immigration officials apparently intend to deport her within a week.

"She has been told that immigration officials are tired of dealing with this case [and] that they just want to finish this case," Ms. Larroy-Haden said. "But my mother cannot go back to her country. She will be arrested the minute she arrives at the airport there."

She said her mother is being held in immigration custody in a Haskell County jail.

Patricia Mancha, a spokeswoman on immigration matters for the Department of Homeland Security in Dallas, said Mrs. Haden was arrested and detained because her last appeal was rejected. She declined to say where Mrs. Haden is being held.

"She is considered a removal person because she has a final order of deportation," Ms. Mancha said. "She has exhausted her appeals."

The only way to delay the deportation would be for Mrs. Haden to file a motion with a federal court for a stay of deportation pending the outcome of a current appeal before the 5th Circuit.

Speaking by telephone from jail, Mrs. Haden said she does not know why immigration officials detained her May 1.

"I have been reporting as they asked me to do. I was not in default of anything," Mrs. Haden said.

Mrs. Haden, a mother of five, entered the United States on a student visa in 1989. As that visa was expiring, she applied for political asylum, saying she feared returning to the African country of Togo. She noted that her husband died under suspicious circumstances in 1991. And, Mrs. Haden had been active in women's political issues in Togo.

Attorneys argued during her asylum case that she faced certain death if she returned there.

Mrs. Haden, an accountant, was denied political asylum by an immigration court judge in 1996. Her appeal of that case also was rejected.

In 1998, she was arrested by immigration officers and jailed for 10 months. Immigration officials said she was believed to have been a flight risk.

A subsequent request for protection under the U.N. Convention Against Torture also was denied by the judge and by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

Mrs. Haden said she cannot understand why she has not been granted asylum, while others – even people from Togo in similar situations – are being allowed to enter the United States as refugees.

"I want to stay in this country. I believe in this country," Mrs. Haden said.

E-mail ftrejo@dallasnews.com

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/stories/051003dnmetablavi.507b3.html

[MeekOneGOP]

Link to Map for Haskell County, Texas (MapQuest)

[MeekOneGOP]

bump

[Marauder]

This woman is an accountant; what a waste.

Two questions:
1. Any way to get her to Canada?

2. Why must this woman face certain death at home, while the "gubmint" won't do anything to stop the hordes crossing the border down south?

[xJones]

2. Why must this woman face certain death at home, while the "gubmint" won't do anything to stop the hordes crossing the border down south?

You have a point. She should go to Mexico and slip into the U.S. like millions of others. Although she wouldn't look Hispanic, she could learn a proper accent and go from there. If she could bribe a Mexican family to call her a relative, she's got it made.

This is Bush's (and previous administrations) greatest failing, and the "reconquista" is changing America into a Latino outpost. If you doubt it, come to the Southwest.

[Marauder]

I'm there, amigo. I live in Houston, but we're moving to Corpus Christi.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

The whole immigration system is quite laughable really, to the point of being comical. We let millions cross our borders illegally everday, few are deported. Instead they're given college tuition, welfare benefits and on and on. And frankly, they've been fairly successful at intimidating the government.

But for those who can show genuine reasons for being given asylum, or can contribute to society, they're shown the door. How long can this go on before the country collapses from the stupidity?

[Reaganwuzthebest]

We let millions cross our borders illegally everday, few are deported.

I should say we let millions cross every year, not everyday, but there's a same end-result, few are deported while potential good legal immigrants are turned away. That is not good for the country's long-term health.

[dagoofyfoot]

She notedd that her husband died under suspicious circumstances in 1991


Things that make you go HHHHMMMMMMM...

[xJones]

Drive carefully, hermano, a large percentage don't have car insurance.

[MeekOneGOP]

When I read that paragraph . . .

Mrs. Haden, a mother of five, entered the United States on a student visa in 1989. As that visa was expiring, she applied for political asylum, saying she feared returning to the African country of Togo. She noted that her husband died under suspicious circumstances in 1991. And, Mrs. Haden had been active in women's political issues in Togo.

. . . I was thinking that her husband was still in Africa, and died THERE of suspicious circumstances. I inferred that to mean he died for his activism also (or possibly for retribution of her activism). The article is lacking in clarity and detail, and maybe I didn't read it correctly though.

[babygene]

"I should say we let millions cross every year, not everyday, but there's a same end-result, few are deported while potential good legal immigrants are turned away. That is not good for the country's long-term health."

While I don't agree with illegal immigration for any reason, your premise is incorrect... We need another accountant in this country like we need a hole in the head.

There is a much larger need for farm workers than accountants.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

No I wasn't meaning to talk about this particular case, I don't know enough of the facts, but immigration policy in general. And I agree with you, we don't need accountants or computer programmers either at this time, not with the unemployment rate as it is.

There is a much larger need for farm workers than accountants.

All the more reason why it's time to mechanize farms as much as possible, the "migrants" doing the work are costing us more in social services than their cheap labor is worth.

[iopscusa]

You are so right, the $ and cents cost of illegal immigration policies are bad enough but the failure to look at the opportunity costs (lack of innovation, security ramifications, importation of radical leftist from South/Central America, etc.) of these policies are absolutely criminal for US Citizens! IMO, there maybe an economic analogy between this illegal immigrant problem and the actual opportunity cost of slavery, which continues to burden this country now and into the foreseeable future.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

IMO, there maybe an economic analogy between this illegal immigrant problem and the actual opportunity cost of slavery, which continues to burden this country now and into the foreseeable future.

And just about everyone appears to agree with this but our government...

[unspun]

Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Secretary Ridge, Attorney General Ashcroft:

Why do we let illegal aliens stream to the USA from Mexico, yet send those applying to asylum overseas and quite possibliy to their deaths?

Arlen Williams
(address)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/909105/posts

[MeekOneGOP]

Excellent ! Bill O'Reilly would be proud! Pithy.

[babygene]

What I’d like to see happen, and I haven’t heard anyone propose it; is for our federal government to bill the home country of the illegal immigrants for such things as medical care, schooling and other social services. I believe if that happened, the Mexican government would prevent their citizens from entering our country illegaly.

[sarcasm]

Remember this?

Hillary and the Clitoridectomy hoax

[Reaganwuzthebest]

What I’d like to see happen, and I haven’t heard anyone propose it; is for our federal government to bill the home country of the illegal immigrants for such things as medical care, schooling and other social services.

The first thing Mexico would do is cry racism if we tried that... a big bully taking advantage of a poor impoverished nation. They could be as rich as Japan if their government wasn't so corrupt.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

It's possible this claim is a scam, people will say anything to stay here.

Ashcroft is supposed to be ruling on the Clinton/Reno rules for asylum shortly regarding a Guatemala woman claiming husband abuse. If he lets it stand, it's just another opportunity for anyone to come in and make something up to get permanent residency.