At the Vickerstaff Law Office, we know that it can be easy for U.S.-born citizens to take our rights and freedoms for granted, without realizing the horrors that countless people in other countries endure. You and others seeking a safe place to live in Kentucky and other states may apply for refugee status or asylum within the United States.
As the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explains, you need to demonstrate valid reasons to seek shelter in America, the most urgent being an inability to live without fear in your native country or to safely relocate to other areas. Many governments persecute their own citizens for various reasons, or fail to protect their citizens from others who violate their rights. The most common reasons people seek asylum or refugee status include the fear of imprisonment, torture, violent government reaction to peaceful protests and genocide, as well as restricting certain groups from their country’s politics.
Those who are persecuted in their home countries may experience this treatment because of their religion, race, nationality, political stance or membership in a certain social group – such as being a member of the LGBTQ community in a country that has anti-LGBTQ laws. As you may already know, living with persecution can affect you emotionally and psychologically, as well as make you fear for you and your family’s safety.
Everyone should enjoy the basic human rights of happiness and security. As our page on asylum and refugees explains, seeking safety in another country can be complicated and difficult. Therefore, you may need experienced allies on your side.
