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STOP ERITREAN DEPORTATIONS NOW!

We – Americans of Eritrean descent – are calling for the U.S. government to save 700 of our fellow Eritreans who are here in America from imminent torture or death at the hands of the

We – Americans of Eritrean descent – are calling for the U.S. government to save 700 of our fellow Eritreans who are here in America from imminent torture or death at the hands of the brutal, dictatorial regime that rules Eritrea.

On September 13, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a directive to expedite the deportation of approximately 700 Eritreans from the U.S.  Those 700 – mostly law-abiding residents – appear to be at immediate risk of being sent home to Eritrea, where we believe they would face torture, long term imprisonment, or murder by the regime.

Eritrea:  The Police State

Eritrea is a small country in the Horn of Africa.  It is a police state, and it is widely referred to as “the North Korea of Africa.”  Its government’s merciless brutality toward its citizens has been documented and denounced by the U.S. State Department, the United Nations, and many major human rights organizations.  Citizens live in constant fear of surveillance, arbitrary arrest, torture, malnutrition, detention within a gulag of underground prisons, and indefinite military service under slave-like conditions.  Citizens who are deported from other countries are at particular peril.  We wish to voice our fears on behalf of the 700 in the U.S., and to implore the U.S. government to halt any deportations until Eritrea becomes safe for the individuals to return.

Why Deportation?

The 700 here are under final removal orders issued by American immigration courts.  To our knowledge, few are under those orders for having committed crimes here.  Rather, many or most had applied in good faith for asylum in the U.S., but they had simply lost their asylum claims.  Often they lost their cases because they lacked legal counsel, because the immigration judges did not understand the dire state of human rights in Eritrea, or both.

In recent years, few Eritreans have been deported from the U.S.  The reason appears to have been that the Eritrean government had refused to cooperate with the deportations – specifically, had  refused to issue travel documents to the individuals under final removal orders.  In the September 13 directive, DHS sought to remedy that situation by causing the State Department to issue a broad ban on in-bound visas from Eritrea to the U.S., as a means of pressuring the Eritrean regime to issue the travel documents for out-bound deportees.

Why Eritrea?

Eleven additional countries have also refused to issue travel papers for U.S. deportees.  But DHS chose to place visa restrictions on only four of them, including Eritrea, and to press for Eritrean deportations, apparently without considering the horrors that would likely befall those deported to Eritrea.  We do not object to the ban on in-bound visas.  But we fervently, and with broken hearts, object to Eritreans being deported to an excruciating fate.

We urge members of Congress to use all influence they may have to cause DHS and ICE to halt the deportation of Eritreans until that country is safe – especially Eritreans whose only shortcoming here is that their asylum claims were denied.

PLEASE HELP SAVE THE ERITREAN 700!

Click on this link for MEMBERS of CONGRESS

References

  1. DHS’s recent directive.

 

  1. DHS’s September 13, 2017 directive appears here: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2017/09/13/dhs-announces-implementation-visa-sanctions-four-countries .
  2. A summary of the directive by The New York Times appears here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/us/politics/visa-sanctions-criminal-convicts.html?_r=0 .
  3. An earlier warning by The Washington Post as to the consequences of potential Eritrean deportations appears here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/08/24/the-us-wants-to-deport-more-eritreans-heres-what-would-happen-to-them-if-they-were-forced-to-return/?utm_term=.11f2fc374e40  .

 

  1. Eritrean human rights, refugees and asylum claims, generally.

 

  1. The America Team for Displaced Eritreans. http://eritreanrefugees.org/ .
  2. Asylum claims and deportation consequences. http://eritreanrefugees.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ERITREAN-ASYLUM-CLAIMS-SUMMARY-BY-THE-AMERICA-TEAM-FOR-DISPLACED-ERITREANS.pdf .

 

  1. Deportation means likely torture or execution.

 

The following sources have reported that Eritreans who are deported to Eritrea – after having been denied asylum in another country, or under some other circumstances – are likely to be severely punished by the Eritrean government:

 

  1. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/10/01/ERI104941.E%20.pdf
  2. Amnesty International: http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/afr640012013.pdf , at pp. 30-31, 27
  3. Amnesty International: https://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/eritrea-deserters-report.pdf , at pp. 9, 54, 57
  4. UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G15/114/50/PDF/G1511450.pdf?OpenElement , at pp. 7, 21.
  5. UK Upper Tribunal: http://reliefweb.int/report/united-kingdom-great-britain-and-northern-ireland/eritreans-face-real-danger-return and http://www.refworld.org/publisher,GBR_UTIAC,,ERI,57fc91fc4,0.html
  6. Meron Estefanos, quoted in EU Observer: https://euobserver.com/migration/137489
  7. Gerry Simpson, writing for Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/05/30/sudan-hundreds-deported-likely-abuse
  8. Abraham Zere, writing for Carnegie Council: https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/publications/articles_papers_reports/987

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Review overview
33 COMMENTS
  • AHMED SALEH !!! October 18, 2017

    We don’t need to get surprised by this administration.There was a reason when his secretary of state to call him a moron . And another senator to say that Trump looks like he runs adults day care center .

    • Yitbarekh October 19, 2017

      What was the reason behind his Secretary of State to call him a moron then? Were you also present when he was supposedly calling him a moron?? And what do you think we should be calling you for being a foolish/ignorant, ultra-suspicious and a rude intruder into our peaceful websites??? Do we also have to verify our (Christian) names to you an Arab agent and clone?
      President Trump as the most successful businessman doesn’t have to run adults day care center but he probably needs to blow you up into pieces in your Afghan or Yemeni hiding deserts!

      • Tesfazghi October 20, 2017

        Very well said Mr Yitbarekh.
        This suspicious Muslim mercenary have the audacity to question our Eritrean people.
        It must be from his sheer ignorance and desperate arrogance that he is lost in our Habesha Christian land. With this kind of twisted, weirdo and savage illegal immigrant nomads no wonder our poor Eritrea is in shit dilema and stuck in the darkness and poverty. The sooner we get rid of these vicious mercenaries the better prospect for Eritrea.

  • Tesfaldetabraha October 18, 2017

    ኢለዮ ዘይፈልጥ ክብል እየ አሰና ጸባ አስቲኻና ጥዑም ወረ እቲ ኩሉ ሐሶት ዝወረ ዝነበረ ብዛዕባ ኤርትራ ፍሺሉ

  • Meretse October 18, 2017

    ክቡር ሓው ተስፋልደት
    እስኪ ኣነ’ን ንዓካ ሓቲተካ ዘይፈልጥ ክሓተካ-ኣየናይ ክፍሊ ናይ’ዛ ጸዋዒት ኢዩ ጸባ?
    ንምፍላጥ ዝኣክል’የ
    ብወገይ ብፍላይ ሎሚ-ሎሚ ዘገርመኒ ነገር እንተሃልዩ ኤረትራውያን ንሃገርና ዝያዳ እነፍቅራ ናይ ስደተኛ መንበሪ ምስ ረከብና ኮይኑ ይስመዓኒ። ኣብ ውሽጣ እንከሎካን መንበሪ ክሳብ እትረክብን “ሲኦል’ ድሕሪ ናይ መንበሪ ፍቃድ ወረቀት ምሓዝ “ገነት’ ወይ እውን ክሳብ “ንሕና ንሱ” “ንሱ ንሕና” እናበልካ ፊንጥራዕ !
    እንድሕሪ ኩሉ መንእሰይ ዝእከለ እታ ሃገር ክጥንጥና እሎዎ ዝብል መስመር ተደጊፉ ነይቲ ሃገር ደኣ ኢዩ ሰብ ተወጺዓ ኢሉ ዓንገረር ክብል ዝውዕል ዘሎ።

    • Haregot October 19, 2017

      Haw Meretse,
      Why are you insulting Tesfalidet by addressing him as “kibur”, as an animal he is not used to respect or normal human feeling/behavior! Next time you should just ask him as ‘adgi fesam Tesfit’……as an outsider, what do you think of the human race? Or alternatively, Tesfitom, do you ever wonder what life would be like if you’d had enough oxygen at birth???????????

  • Haregot October 19, 2017

    I am extremely sorry to read this depressing news but this is exactly what you get from cowboy irresponsible so called president like Trump, Ronald Reagan and G.Bush of the right wing extremists. It won.t be a great news for DIA and co though as they preach to have great diplomacy or sympathy from the present administration. Yemane monkey would be on the next flight to the USA begging for any face saving deal urgently and desperately, indeed.

  • ermias October 19, 2017

    Tesfaldet bediu adi segudo abu amharay mukanu tifeltu do. Silezebzoho kegalixo ele eye. Nay abu shim ashenafi eyu.

  • Tesfa October 19, 2017

    This is extremely sad news and I wouldn’t expect this to happen to our follow Eritreans. Please let’s do our part to save them from a criminal regime who will soon see their day in court by ICC charged with crimes against humanity. Please reach out to your senators to save innocent life from getting wasted in deserts of Eritrea. May God be with them

  • Dani amiche October 19, 2017

    Taken from a simple, ridiculous yet funny commercial:
    .
    The wife in the TV commercial says to her husband “You disgust me”
    Dressed in a funny way, the husband, while chewing food, replies to her “Prove it!”
    .
    Similarly, this idiot president of US should be told and challenged to “Prove it!”, that ordinary
    poor Eritrean refugees are any danger to the United States of America. Otherwise, we say to him, “You disgust us”.

    • ermias October 19, 2017

      Kalighe
      He has always been disgusting. He is left with 3 yrs only though! Unlike the criminal dictator back home, americans will punish him in big way. He has no ajenda but hatered.

  • Peace for all October 19, 2017

    I really appreciate those who took the initiative. We Eritrean we become victims of the PFDJ dictatorship because we were quite while we saw our brothers and sisters arrested despite they are inocent. And now we should not see idly while our brothers and sisters are sent back home to risk their life under the criminal government that we have. Again I appreciate to those who took the initative. If necessary even we have to do a demonstration to inform the DHS it is not safe to send them home.

    • Tsehaye October 19, 2017

      Most of our supposedly innocent victims are probably agents 03 of PFDJ! If not fully agents of HGDEFs then most of them would have filled up the “nay taEsa” form by now and probably would be contributing/paying to the higdefs mafia criminal banks. So in order to hit PFDJs pockets or coffers we should reluctantly just sit back and watch the deportation take place. Sadly but truly, some of these so-called innocent victims deserve each others company with the mafia PFDJ gangsters. Simply I would not feel sorry for the majority PFDJ members.

      • alem October 19, 2017

        No body feels sorry for pfdj mafis, but how do u know these are pfdj agents tsehaye?

        • Tsehaye October 19, 2017

          Alem, since you seem to know them well why couldn’t you represent them then? You also sound like a typical two faced liar PFDJ kurkur agent.

  • Alula October 19, 2017

    Why should we help to save Esayas’s spies and brutal criminals and thieves? Let them deport the two faced liars.

  • Tesfa October 19, 2017

    This is extremely sad news and I wouldn’t expect this to happen to our follow brothers and sisters. Please let’s do our part to save them from a criminal regime who will soon see their day in court by ICC with crimes against humanity. Please reach out to your senators

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