An American Seeking Asylum

While we seldom hear stories about Americans seeking asylum abroad, the United States accepts thousands of foreign nationals seeking asylum each year. This is perhaps due to the United States being a perfect country. However, we do not believe this is necessarily the case. The British publication The Guardian reported in June 2010 that between 2004 and 2008, there were 45 Americans applying for asylum in the U.K. Fifteen American nationals applied in 2008 alone, which was the last year of the Bush presidency. The reasons behind the large number in that particular year are not clear; however, a Texan applying for asylum stated that those who oppose the war mongering are branded as anti-establishment dissidents and thus are persecuted in the U.S. The U.K. denied all American applications for asylum. Considering that the U.K. is the closest U.S. ally, the total number of Americans applying for asylum abroad might actually be significantly higher.

In the past, there were few cases of American nationals successfully receiving asylum. An American working for the UNESCO office in Paris, Norwood Peter DuBerg, was granted asylum in Switzerland in 1954. He claimed that the U.S. Department of State started an investigation of his loyalty to the U.S. based solely on his affiliation with the Communist Party when he was young. Holly Ann Collins and her three children were granted asylum in the Netherlands in 1977. She was fleeing from domestic violence. Chere Lyn Tomayko and her two daughters received refugee status in Costa Rica in 2008, in spite of objection from the U.S. government.

Edward Snowden, who exposed the secret surveillance programs, has not been able to receive asylum. Some U.S. politicians explicitly threatened that any country granting Snowden asylum will be considered an enemy to the U.S. and face the consequences. We find this hypocritical. A nation that considers itself a champion of human rights should not obstruct Snowden’s wish for gaining asylum.