Blog

We are happy to once again begin our client of the month series with a Dree Collopy victory! This month, we celebrate our client Azeb, who was granted asylum from Ethiopia after a long battle to obtain the safety in this country that she deserves. Azeb fled to the US after she had been wrongfully imprisoned in Ethiopia for standing up to government harm to journalists and political opponents. However, the USCIS asylum officer found that, despite her unjust imprisonment for political activities, Azeb did not suffer past persecution sent her application to the Immigration Court to be heard by a judge. After hours of testimony and staunch opposition from ICE, Azeb demonstrated that she would face harm in the future if returned to Ethiopia based on her political activities. The Judge took weeks to issue a decision granting Azeb asylum in the U.S. After two USCIS interviews, three immigration court hearings, and quite a lot of heartache, Azeb was finally given the opportunity to remain here where she is safe.

This was such a major win for Azeb, because she not only sought protection for herself, but for her husband and her two children as well. Her husband has also been targeted in Ethiopia for his political opposition and Azeb has been afraid for his safety and that of her children. Thankfully, when Azeb won asylum, she also won the right to bring her husband and children to the US with her. Late last year, we filed a petition for them and convinced USCIS to expedite it. Now we are only waiting for a consular interview for them to also be approved to immigrate as asylees. We are so excited for this family to be reunited! Congrats to Azeb and everyone at Benach Collopy who made this victory possible.