The Narrowing Path to Asylum

Jun 14, 2018

The Trump administration has said that domestic abuse is no longer grounds for receiving permission to stay in the United States. We share one asylum seeker’s story. Guest: Mariam, a survivor of domestic violence who arrived in the United States from Burkina Faso, and who asked not to be identified by her real name. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

This episode includes disturbing language and scenes of graphic violence.

Play Episode

► 00:00:00

from The New York Times on Michael Barbaro this is the daily

► 00:00:09

today

► 00:00:11

the Trump Administration says that domestic abuse is no longer a basis for granting asylum in the United States what that policy looks like to one victim

► 00:00:28

it's Thursday June 14

► 00:00:34

the United States of America is not some idea is not just a land mass or an economy ours is a Sovereign Nation nation state with a constitution laws elections borders and as you all well know one of our major difficulties today is the Asylum process the Asylum system is being abused to the detriment of the rule of law sound public policy Public Safety even and to the detriment of people with just claims to Asylum

► 00:01:14

on Monday attorney general Jeff sessions went before a group of federal immigration judges to address a decision made under President Obama powerful incentives were created for aliens to come here illegally and claim fear of return in effect word spread that by asserting this fear they could remain in the United States one way or the other and far too often that rumor proved correct in 2014 a ruling based on Obama's more Progressive immigration policies allowed Asylum Seekers to cite the threat of domestic violence as the basis for Asylum if they were coming from countries where their governments would not protect them the results are just what one would expect the number of illegal entrance has surged credible fear claims have skyrocketed and the percentage of Asylum claims found to be

► 00:02:14

Tori's by our judges has declined significantly on Monday session said he would end that approach now we all know that many of those crossing the border illegally are leaving difficult even dangerous conditions and we understand that all our do proper respect in court and the proper legal process but we cannot abandon legal discipline and sound legal Concepts

► 00:02:51

so just sit naturally like you're going to sit during the interview and I'm going to move this towards you and then just you'll be popping sound you talk that tells that you have for breakfast City Island banana what kind of cereal calm I was at Syria but I decided to have toast I'm really grateful that you came in here so thank you very much you're welcome what should I call you what what name would you like us to use Mario Mario mmm tell me about where you're from I'm from Burkina Faso is a little country in the middle of Nigeria Ghana Mali been a to go so what's that Ivory Coast yes in West Africa as we speak French

► 00:03:43

and tell me a little bit about your family in Burkina Faso what was your family like

► 00:03:50

it's a big family is a family of 11 people yes and we have a lot of cousins and aunts uncles we we love each other we live like a family and everybody knows everybody and know their stories yep so no secrets no secret you cannot hide something idea everybody knows everything about anyone and what did you do for fun when you're going up for fun I like to sing a gospel to sing gospel yep so Christian Christian Christian music him when you were growing up did you have a favorite song in French that you sent yes what was that song euni I could do I say yeah it's only you Jesus it's only you Jesus yeah this song We Sing it's at church every surface before the prayers that

► 00:04:50

we sing it when I'm singing that out of mine all mine suffering when I was back in home when I was singing that I was in tears but now when I think that I remember all the good things that God did for me I want to I want to hear the story about your suffering as you said and I wonder where that Story begins

► 00:05:19

this Story begins unlike 2005 when I met so when you're eighteen Seventeen eighteen yes when I meet a guy I met him because it's not far from my house and every time that I'm going to school it was deer and every time I'm passing I said hello you raised him so you made eye contact yeah yes um we started dating he said that he loved me and he started giving me and my friend little gifts sometimes he bought us cookies fantastic Oka Center the drink yes and we wait up bewitching that yes it's a good person is the right person you want to me to be us together to be more I was pregnant and now you become pregnant yes I'll become pregnant he went to pay a dowry to my family it's silver

► 00:06:19

in the morning I paid it and when he paid it I moved to his house why is that why is the Dowry important the doubt is symbolized like you are not for your family anymore

► 00:06:34

you have for the guy because it paid you is belonging

► 00:06:40

and when they give your Dory

► 00:06:43

your parents don't have any words to say anymore you can set like he's buying you and now I moved here and when I moved to his house I found out that it was married yes I know that lady but the lady left okay and he was two kids in the house and I was supposed to take care of the kids and his family and I could live in that yes because the kids was sweet very nice they don't say bad attitude and will because they miss their mom when they see me they took me like a mom

► 00:07:23

so I'm we will go together yes it sounds like you love him yes before I love him before yeah

► 00:07:47

when we start live together I realized that it was not come and everything was not going home every time he liked to fight and he liked to watch football and when the team don't win the day it make problems like to drink every time you make problems like humiliating me in front of his friend if in front of his mom and nobody says nothing it's telling me bad words sometimes and it's telling me that I'm fat I'm some ugly because of this time I was pregnant and I cannot take care of myself like before it sounds awful it was

► 00:08:32

do you remember the first time that he became violent with you when I start saying no is why is that beating me firstly I took that is normal but after it was too much he can beat me and he said with the bloody don't stop like if he dropped out and doesn't stop Yes it doesn't stop to beat me how often was this happening in a given week

► 00:08:59

four times three times a week yes a meeting make him angry

► 00:09:11

and I didn't want to go but is forcing me say that what I think that you pay the Dowry to a pivotal ready because of that I cannot live in his house and eating real food and don't want to agree with that that is because of that if Ava Dory so he's saying that you you must have sex with him yes because he pay the door before that I'm not his sister mmm so he's forced his voice yes

► 00:09:39

and that Dowry that means that to you that that you cannot leave you can't because

► 00:09:49

if you leave your family will not be happy with you and it will be ashamed in the town everybody will be speaking about you and now

► 00:10:01

maybe you can come to the family and tell your family that you are not there in need another woman hmm yeah so he could then seek out another you guys take his daughter hmm yes so if he means you live you might inflict that know that I'm somebody else you love ya your family still have a daughter

► 00:10:32

when was the first time that you felt that your life might be in danger in this marriage when I felt that my love will be in danger is on when I lost my baby you have a miscarriage yes we fight one night he beats me everywhere and I was sick and three days later I see the blood and everything is that time that I realized that if I can lost my baby I can lost my life

► 00:11:03

one night we fight and when we started fighting is go screaming it was screaming yes and when I went to the kitchen and eat it with a knife I thought you was playing because since we fight you never took a knife every time is a belt or is those shoes and I thought that was a game is joke was The Wanted like to scare me but it stopped my back twice he stabbed you in the back yes twice and after the hospital room went back home I told him go away I don't want to go with you anymore is finish and now you want to hear my parents house this was it for you yes I said I'm not going you can do anything that you want but I'm not going anymore and one night

► 00:11:57

we were sleeping in the house I was sleeping me and my two little sisters because our bed is three people can sleep Gia on one or two o'clock in the morning it came with his big truck he entered in my bedroom for the truck took the bed and drop us to the war the roof collapse he drives the chest into the my bedroom yes I know were you injured yes this is a seat please Grant my my leg and my sisters she said that she couldn't breathe anymore and my dad called the police at this time and the police did everything that measure everything we went to the hospital and the police to say that

► 00:12:48

is because I'm not respectful I have to be humble I have to respect my husband if I'm not respecting my husband is what happened my Dad tried to call the insurance people to the insurance said that is a family problem police to say that it's family problem we have to deal with that everyone's telling you that it's yes you do your best so you've left the house at this point we've gone to the police what else is there left for you to do

► 00:13:18

I didn't have nothing to do anymore because my country is too small

► 00:13:25

you cannot add something from nobody in my country

► 00:13:30

that went to my uncle and my uncle said that you cannot stay with you even in Africa you cannot say that you have to live as to leave and I applied for the visa to the United States by the United States United States because the United States would protect me more I was watching on the TV movies I say sure that Michael Cosby was a black family cut The Cosby Show yes and he was respecting the lady every time and I see our men's respect ladies it's why I said that this is my dream is this kind of life I needed I want it was my dream and I say that

► 00:14:13

this is the perfect place to be safe

► 00:14:17

so where do you first arrived in the United States I took the plane and I arrived at JFK in New York okay in Queens When we arrive at JFK we arrived at all the immigration services and because my English was bad I didn't speak English I said no no go back stay no more Burkina Faso you're telling them that no I'm not going back you want to stay yes I was the requesting like Asylum Asylum see you're asking yes you're asking for for protection from the u.s. your ass yes Asylum and they understand this yes

► 00:14:57

and where do you go next went to a small room where a lot of people come like police the come now starting to speak with me I was scared you were scared I was getting that will send me back forced me to go to the plane but a guy came and asked me questions

► 00:15:15

and I end up in detention in Newark you ask for Asylum and they take you to to a detention for yes to detention yes it was scary so at this point you've come to United States my tourist visa you have asked for Asylum you're brought to a Detention Center yes how do you feel this point

► 00:15:39

I feel very sad

► 00:15:42

nope french-speaking person who is dear at this point you don't speak very much English the way you know he's vember were teaching me and one Jamaican girl she was teaching me very well so other women in detention are starting to teach you yes to teach me English and Betsy Ross song to sing what song do they teach you to say I was singing God will make a way for me God Will Make A Way God Will Make A Way yes do you know the words of it what are some of the words to the song

► 00:16:13

God will make a way where to seem to me no way he works in ways we cannot see he will make a way for me he will be my God or me to know if I guess you just say you don't be nervous because your microphone it's beautiful it means my freedom I know we were singing that all of the ladies together every night before to pray hmm mr. Allen it

► 00:16:53

so you're in this Detention Facility you're waiting for the United States to decide yes whether or not you can stay whether you can be granted yes I'll mmm what happened with your case I stadia six month the first month that I arrived I was able to get a lawyer pro bono lawyer it took my case and it tells me that you have your proof your evidence I said I have everything in my suitcase she said wow you plan is I say yes I plan everything I have all the proof in my suitcase and now I have to show them all my scars in my body and when we went to court the granted me but I said wow

► 00:17:37

what does your life look like now in the US ma'am

► 00:17:42

I don't have to worry about not seeing now since I me and nobody never slap me or telling me bad thing is sometimes on the Metro people say oh fuck you something like that only on the Metro and even is the Metro from New York in New Jersey nobody never told me that that's just life in New York I guess yeah I'm very happy I'm going to school now I want to improve my English and when I will be able to speak good English I would help all the organization fighting again my Mystic violence you want to bother other one I will add almonds

► 00:18:23

is there anything that has surprised you about life in America anything that has made you laugh

► 00:18:30

yes it look toasting make me laugh like What mmm

► 00:18:36

when I see men taking care of kids hmm yeah like a rolling the stroller it make me laugh because in Africa no way and sometimes I explained to my friend in Africa by said oh my God don't tell me that yes when I explain to them don't tell me that men do bad baby surprise yes

► 00:19:02

and have you met anybody here have you gotten close to anybody yes I'm in love now yeah I guess I did not know that I can be in love it yeah but it start again

► 00:19:15

I'm eating on TJ Maxx a teacher yes I want to show up and him to it came to shop and it was speaking French I speak French too and we start like this and how long have you been dating him almost one year six months wow yep we talk we laugh we going to restaurants to watch movies mmm one night we wanted to unload I like to wear it long pants and dresses to cover myself because I don't want nobody to see my wounds but it's telling me don't worry leave that I like it no problem you don't have to hide everything he accept my story in knows everything what happened and he accept it so he understands yes we understand

► 00:20:14

I wonder what would you have done if you hadn't been able to stay in the United States I know that's with this guy I would lose my life

► 00:20:24

if I didn't get to stay here and I will put all my family in danger if you'd been sent back yeah you believe you would you be dead yes it was all out of control America was the way like we said God is can make the way is America because God work in a ways I think that this way is America was America and if America want to close this way I don't know where we will go

► 00:20:56

you can imagine what will happen

► 00:21:01

where am I really want to thank you you're welcome you're very welcome I guess and I'm sorry that my English is not good because it's my second langauge I would like she's very good explain more than that but I don't ever words you have why I don't have a word you really do yeah

► 00:21:24

do you still think about that time with your with your husband does it comes back to you yes it comes back to me

► 00:21:35

anytime that I remember Africa or I look my wounds I remember him he cannot pass away but after try to forget but a lot of things made me remember and how do you deal with it when you think about it when you look at your scars and you think about him

► 00:21:55

I think I think

► 00:21:59

it's about the new life I don't want to remember yes this anymore I think about for Freedom now that's a f and I'm thankful to that and every time that I'm sad I'm singing

► 00:22:19

God will make a way where did seems to be no way he works in ways we cannot see he will make a way for me he will be my guide hold me closely to his side with love and strength for each new day he will make a way he will make it with

► 00:23:08

we'll be right back

► 00:23:10

people are busy that's why listeners tune into the daily so they don't miss out on the most important news and when it comes to hiring employers turn to zipper Critter so they don't miss out on the most qualified candidates zip recruiters powerful technology finds the right people for your job and actively invites them to apply that's why four out of five employers who post on zip recruiter get a quality candidate through the site within the first day and today our listeners can try zip recruiter for free at zip recruiter.com daily here's what else you need to know today on Wednesday amid growing criticism of the agreement he signed with Kim Jang Hoon President Trump declared that North Korea is quote no longer a nuclear threat everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office Trump wrote

► 00:24:01

in South Korea Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked how the us could verify that North Korea had destroyed its nuclear weapons something that wasn't specified in Trump's agreement with Kim Pompeo replied that the question is quote insulting and ridiculous and frankly ludicrous

► 00:24:35

that's it for the daily I'm Michael Barbaro see you tomorrow

► 00:24:44

this is supported by rocket mortgage by Quicken Loans with an award-winning team of mortgage experts obsessed with finding a better way to make the home buying process smoother for you with a history of Industry leading online lending technology rocket mortgage is changing the game visit rocket mortgage.com the daily and take the first step toward the home of your dreams Equal Housing lender license and all 50 states nmls consumer access dot org number 30 30 rocket mortgage by Quicken Loans push-button get mortgage