 HUNDREDS OF BURMESE SEEK ASYLUM IN GUAM
Over the past few months, more than 700 Burmese nationals seeking asylum have arrived at the island of Guam, a small US protectorate in the Pacific Ocean. They were able to come to Guam because of its visa waiver program, which was designed to increase tourism from Asian countries. However, they are now stuck there because asylum claims are not processed on Guam, and it will take months (and maybe years) for the Justice Department to process their applications.
Most of them are staying in private houses, but because they cannot work legally, they are forced to rely on handouts for survival. Thirty-eight of them are being held in the detention center on Guam because they told officials upon arrival that they intended to seek asylum in the US rather than leave in 15 days as allowed under the visa waiver program.
Conditions have gotten so bad that the governor of Guam has filed a complaint with the INS. The INS had taken the position that under the visa waiver program, the Burmese in custody could not be released, and that those not in detention could not be allowed to enter the US. It has now relaxed its position and will release those in detention, and is considering a plan to allow them to come to the US while their asylum applications are processed.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, has been in a state of political turmoil for over a decade. Most of those seeking asylum say that they fled for one of two reasons – persecution because of pro-democracy activities, or persecution because of practicing Christianity. According to the State Department, Burma has a horrible record of committing atrocities against its citizens, and has an “extremely poor human rights record and longstanding severe repression of its citizens.” This is borne out by the fact that about 55% of Burmese asylum applicants are granted, more than double the average for all countries.
In response to the influx of Burmese asylum seekers, the INS recently eliminated Burma from the Guam visa waiver program. Many believe that this has contributed to the INS’s willingness to release the detainees and to possibly arrange for their transport to the US. With Burmese nationals now requiring a visa, there is a smaller chance that Guam will continue to experience the influx it has over the past few months.
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