Okay, let’s say you are in your home country and are preparing to escape to the U.S. because you are afraid of being, or you have already been, harmed, threatened, or tortured by your government or their agents. You are being persecuted because of your race, religion, nationality, politics, or membership in a particular social group. (We will explore these categories in a later post.)

I know people may have to leave very quickly, with little chance to prepare. But if you CAN, gather evidence. Imagine you are in front of an asylum officer or an immigration judge, or your lawyer! and you want to prove your story is true. Newspaper articles, birth and death certificates, medical charts if you have been injured and got treatment, police records. Every case has documents specific to it that will increase your credibility. And please, do not, EVER, obtain a fake document. They rarely fool anybody, and will cast doubt upon your whole case.

If you can make notes about your case, do so. If this is too dangerous, go over and over the details in your mind so you will remember your story. Time has a way of diluting or distorting traumatic memories. If you trust that no one is opening outgoing mail, send notes and documents to someone you trust outside your country. If you trust an email address, write your notes and attach documents and photos. Think of those people in country who may later execute affidavits on your behalf; make sure you have contact information for them.

And, lastly, for today anyway, could you relocate to another part of your country and be safe? If you answer this question yes, I could move and be safe, you will lose your asylum claim. So move, and be safe.