The Firm recently won asylum on behalf of a gay, HIV-positive Jamaican man who was a victim of hate crimes in his home country. While living in Jamaica, our client nearly died on several occasions as the result of homophobic attacks. Although the man reported the attacks to Jamaican police, they refused to file reports or conduct investigations.
He fled to the United States in 2001 to avoid further persecution, but failed to apply for asylum within one year of his arrival, as required by statute. At the client’s asylum interview, Sonnenschein presented compelling evidence showing that the client’s mental illness was an “extraordinary circumstance” that exempted him from the one-year filing deadline. The client was granted full asylum and is now able to live and work legally in the United States.
Claire Wong Black and Lydia Keaney led the representation, under the supervision of Farrington Yates. Ben Delfin, Zhubin Parang, Johan Buys, and summer associates Paul Kim and Andris Alexander assisted the team.
