Can a Jewish Venezuelan Get Asylum?
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A foreigner who can show they are unwilling to return to Venezuela because of a well-founded fear of significant harm on account of religion can get asylum. The United States can become their safe haven. Medical documents are not required. Hospital records are not required. Police reports are not required, especially if the authority causing the harm is the Venezuelan security forces, including the police and intelligence forces. In 2009, after Israel started military operations in Gaza (as it does now), armed forces in Venezuela vandalized a synagogue and stole computers and equipment.
Does the Venezuelan Government Want to Harm Jewish People?
So, if a Jewish Venezuelan can demonstrate that they have a fear of significant harm if they return, they can get asylum. The Freedom House report for 2023 noted that there is a “pattern of antisemitic content in regime-affiliated media outlets and social media posts.” Meaning, the government of President Maduro is hostile to the Jewish people.
Hostility, the attorneys for immigration will argue, is not intent to harm. That is why it is extremely important to hire an experienced asylum lawyer before filing the application. An experienced attorney will focus the case on how the Venezuela government each day lessens its intent to protect Jewish citizens, which can be equated to an increased intent to harm. After all, Germany in the 1930s showed how quickly a government can treat Jewish citizens as outcasts.
How Do You Prove Fear of Significant Harm?
Sadly, each person applying for asylum must prove their case separately. Even though hundreds of Venezuelan Jews may have been granted asylum in the U.S., each Venezuelan Jew applying for asylum needs to prove that THEY as an INDIVIDUAL might be harmed.
It is important to include in the case as many documents as possible demonstrating that Jews as a group are being harmed in Venezuelan. This would include statements of other persons in the community, newspaper articles, and country reports.
Blandon Law attorneys have been helping asylum applicants for over 20 years. We also help with work permits for the principal applicant and their spouse and children. Contact us today so we can help your immigration dreams a reality.
Disclaimer – These entries are based on real life events. Family member names, when used, are real. Client names are changed for privacy.
