U.S. family seeks political asylum in Finland

[Judi Lynn]

Source: MSNBC/Associated Press

U.S. family seeks political asylum in Finland
Family with three young kids will get answer in several months, officials say

Updated: 28 minutes ago
HELSINKI, Finland - An American family with three small children has applied for political asylum in Finland, immigration officials said Friday.

The five family members came to Finland on Tuesday from Germany, said Minna Serradj from the Directorate of Immigration.

“It’s very unusual for a U.S. citizen to apply for asylum,” Serradj said, declining to give details in line with a policy to protect asylum seekers. “I don’t remember when we last had Americans applying.”

Serradj declined to comment on local media speculation that the parents possibly were seeking to escape serving in the U.S. armed forces in Iraq.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20913414/

[Redwraithvienna]

1. Wont stay there long ...

They will be sent back to Germany then. The Dublin Guidlines for Asylum Seekers say that the country in which the Asylum Seeker enters the EU is the country which is responsible for them.

So bye bye Finland, welcome Germany.

I honestly dont think that they will be recognized as asylum seekers, cause there is no draft in the US. And once that happens they will be sent back to the US since they will probably have overstayed their tourist visa which is generally valid for 3 months.

[mare]

2. Sincerely doubt they would be granted asylum even if

there were a draft in the US. We have a draft in Germany, I don't think you'd find a judge here who'd accept it as a reason for political asylum.

[Delphinus]

4. First off,

Welcome to DU!

Secondly, are you saying if they had left the US mainland and flown into Finland they would be able to stay?

[Redwraithvienna]

13. Yes

Well .... they could apply for asylum there and the finnish authorities would have to find out if they should be given asylum for political reasons or not

BUT : The Country in which you enter the European Union is the country in which you have to apply for asylum.

And since they entered in Germany (thats were there passports where checked and they got their tourist visa) Germany is the country that has too look at their case. Not Finland.

Hope that helped

[1932]

24. As I said elsewhere in this thread, I don't think you're right about this.

[1932]

20. See my post 19 below.

[1932]

19. Not correct. Country of entry is least important of factors considered:

The Dublin Convention does not mean that the first EU member state that an asylum seeker
may pass through has the responsibility to examine that claim. In fact, articles 4 to 8 set out
the criteria for determining responsibility. These apply in the order that they are given below:
-
if a close family member of the asylum seeker (usually defined as a spouse or
unmarried child under 18) already has refugee status in a particular EU member state,
that country will be responsible for determining the asylum application;
-
in general, where an asylum applicant has a valid residence permit for a particular
member state, that country will examine the asylum application;
-
in general, where an applicant has a valid visa for a particular member state, that
country will examine the asylum application;
-
the member state in which the asylum application is lodged assumes responsibility in
cases where the asylum seeker has a long-expired visa (more than two years
previously) or residence permit (more than six months previously);
-
the member state which an asylum seeker illegally enters from a non-member state is
responsible (unless s/he has been living for at least six months prior to applying for
asylum in another member state, in which case that country assumes responsibility);
-
where an asylum application is made while passing through a member state, that
country shall be responsible;
-
only after all the above criteria have been exhausted does the first member state
where the asylum seeker made the application become responsible for examining it.
•
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:uLyc0wZ2g-8J:www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/OneStopCMS/Core/CrawlerResourceServer.aspx%3Fresource%3DE5226378-5609-463E-BD47-80CB81492934%26mode%3Dlink%26guid%3D4a3e6935c1a044fca3dbc43acd5f960b+Dublin+Guidelines+for+Asylum+Seekers&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=11&gl=us&client=firefox-a

[Demeter]

3. I Spent 11 Months In Finland

They'll be back. Unless they are Finns by heritage, and used to the climate.

[Diclotican]

9. Demeter

It is not that cold in Finland, or in Norden in the winter then:) (Finland is geograpich not a part of Scandinavia but are part of "Norden" Where Norway, Sweden,Finland Denmark and Icland are a part of Scandinavia is historick Norway Denmark and Sweden, but for many the term Scandinavia have stuch for all the country in the north somehow). Ok its snow, its cold, but not that cold.. And we have a wonderfull spring summer, and fall.. Even the winter can be nice if the snow is good enoug.. Evebody can survive -35*C if you just have the right clotht, and have a roof over your yead who are heated..

But it IS a preferance that you are used to snow ,and cold..

I guess the familiy wont be granted asylium in Finland... They are verry strict about it in Finland...

Diclotican

Sorry my bad engelish, not my native language

[Demeter]

10. It Was -40 on New Year's Eve

and I lived in long johns for months. It was cold.

I liked Finland A lot! But it is very different, and most Americans don't accept change and cultural variation very well, which is why we have Bush in the White House still.

Jag laerde mej litte svensk i Finland, ocksa! Just don't have the keyboard for it.

[Diclotican]

11. Demeter

Hello

True, it is chilly when the grade stock is behind -40Cs... But with proper cloth i should be a problem:P

Finland is verry different from US.. I guess all the country in Scandinavia and in Norden is verry different from the US, and that can be a problems when you are starting a new life.. But as our ancestors who traveled by sea to a diferent continent you just have to get bay to you know your way around i guess... Finland is a verry nice place to be, I am afraid I have never been there, just at Happaranda, the swedish border city to Finland..

Ah you can little swedish too;). Then you may understand this. Har du smakt sjustrømning noen gang? (A fish dish, verry good, but smell horrible) It is on Norwigian, but verry like the swedish language;)

Diclotican

Sorry my bad engelish, not my native language

[Demeter]

18. Diclotican

Jag har aldrigt smackt sjostroemning eller lutefisk.

[Diclotican]

23. Demeter

Hello, Nice to se you write swedish;). Verry similar to norwigian, similar enough that sweden and norway understand eatch other verry god..

Du skulle prøvd lutefisk, det er veldig godt, når det er lagd på ordentlig måte:). Men det er julemat da;) Har du spist noe som heter pinnekjøtt da?

You should had tried Lutefisk (I dont know the engelish name on it) Its verry god when made the proper way. But for the record. Lutefisk are usaly for the cristmas sesong.. Have you ever eat someting called pinnekjøtt?

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

[ohio2007]

5. "... seeking to escape serving in the U.S. armed forces ..."

When did the draft start selectively calling up people like Serradj parents /

what are they?

Doctors under certain obligations ?

[Fly by night]

6. Would "fleeing a repressive, belligerent, bankrupt, Nazi-like regime" qualify?

If those factors would qualify anywhere on the planet as legitimate reasons to seek asylum, please post the list of countries and links to their asylum procedures.

Seriously. British Columbia looks real attractive these days. Hell, so does Sierra del Fuego (wherever that is).

[L0oniX]

8. Indeed ...British Columbia is looking mighty good right now and they have good weed too.

[Frustratedlady]

12. Don't go to Paraguay.

I understand it may become toxic in January 2009. Just sayin'.

[Redwraithvienna]

15. I doubt it.

You can getr political asylum only if the country you come from denies you your human rights in accordance with the "Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees"

To be exact : He / She has to fullfill the following : "A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.."


And i honestly doubt that any of the reasons apply to US Citizens.

[Fly by night]

16. Might try on the " ... membership of a particular social group or political opinion ..."

Social group(s) -- democracy-loving, hypocrisy-hating, non-wealth-aspiring, Goddess-loving and bombastic born-again loathing, tinfoil hat-wearing "coincidence theorist".

Political opinion(s) -- Believer in the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the Voting Rights Act, habeas corpus, freedom of speech, a balanced budget, stewardship of the earth and ... the Golden Rule.

It seems to me that all of the above fall into the class of persecuted persuasions in Bush-world, the country formerly known as the US of A.

New Zealand, here I come. (I wish, I wish).

Actually, for those freepers lurking around, I'm just joking. I would much rather fight (for my country) than switch (to another). You flying monkey minions aren't going to get off that easy.

You had better believe that this country boy will (fight to help his country) survive.

[1932]

21. A US citizen got political asylum in Sweden a couple years ago because he was persecuted by his

local police station in CT. I think he moved to FL and the police went after him there too, but I might be misremembering that part.

[307 MMS]

17. Geography

That's Tierra del Fuego...meaning the land(tierra) del(of) Fuego (fire).
Just tryin' to help!

[Fly by night]

22. Thanks. Don't know if I'd really want to live on a sierra del fuego.

Don't know if I could keep the books on the bookshelf living on a volcano (mountain of fire). Much less a "saw of fire" (the literal translation).

I realized a few hours after I posted that I meant "tierra" instead of "sierra". By then, it was too late to correct my mistake.

Sorta like my second marriage.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Due to the visa waiver program

I'm guessing they can simply move from country to country around the EU. There's rather a lot of them :

If they cross into Sweden and catch a ferry after 3 months to Denmark they'll be able to spend years here.

[Redwraithvienna]

14. What you mean is the

Schengen Treaty which allowes you too move from one country to an other in the EU. (And at the moment the 10 "new" EU countries + GB are not part of Schengen)

But even then if you just have a tourist Visa you will need too leave the EU within 90 Days.

And if you get caught after those 90 days you will be deported to your country of origin.