A Sri Lankan man has finally been granted
asylum in the United States after seven years. Ahilan Nadarajah, now 28, fled to the United States seven years ago after being tortured and beaten by the Sri Lankan army for allegedly being involved in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a terrorist organization.
Nadarajah had been granted
asylum twice before, but the U.S. government twice appealed the Immigration Appeal Board's decisions to grant Nadarajah asylum because of secret evidence linking him to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Nadarajah has repeatedly denied any involvement with the Tamil group.
Upon arrival in the United States in 2001, Nadarajah was detained by the U.S. government for his alleged ties to the terrorist organization. He was detained in an immigration detention center for four and half years, six months of which were spent in isolation. Nadarajah was released after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued for his release, arguing that his lengthy detention was illegal. As a result, he was released from detention but still had to wear an electronic ankle monitoring bracelet.
While in detention, a U.S. immigration judge granted Nadarajah asylum, despite the evidence submitted by the U.S. government showing his alleged involvement with the Tamil organization. The government appealed the decision, and the case was reheard. Again Nadarajah was granted
asylum. In 2006 the government appealed again, but the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled in Nadarajah's favor once more.
Seven years later, Nadarajah's case is finally coming to a close after the U.S. attorney general declined to review the case after the government filed for another appeal.
"I'm so happy today. I want to [give] thanks to America because they finally gave me my freedom," said Nadarajah. He also stated his gratitude to the U.S. government for helping clear his name.
The ACLU stated that Nadarajah's case is one of great importance, as it sheds light on the fact that many people who seek refuge in United States are unjustly imprisoned once they land on American soil.
"Ahilan Nadarajah's story is important beyond the personal tragedy that he suffered because it offers a window into the human costs to the mistakes--and there are thousands of mistakes the government has made by turning the war on terror into a war on immigrants," said Ahilan Arulanantham, the attorney handling the case for Nadarajah on behalf of the ACLU.
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