A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

Section ix. recommendationS related to liBerianS reSiding in the united StateS
Protection of Refugees
As a party to the Refugee Convention, the United States has a duty not to return refugees who
face persecution in their home countries. 453 Under international and federal law, the United States
is prohibited from expelling or returning a refugee to the frontiers of territories where he or she
would be exposed to persecution. 454 “Even when the circumstances in the country of origin have
undergone a fundamental change, individual refugees may continue to have a well-founded fear of
persecution or compelling reasons not to return arising out of previous persecution. [When this
has] been determined, the ‘ceased circumstances’ cessation clauses should thus not apply to them.” 455
Moreover, refugees are entitled to basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Advocates
recommends that the Government of the United States comply fully with their obligations under
domestic and international refugee law as well as international human rights law. The Advocates
recommends the following:
Despite changed country conditions in Liberia, the Government of the United States should recognize
that compelling reasons may, for certain individuals, support the continuation of refugee status.
o The United States should facilitate ongoing asylum applications and timely refugee
status determinations. “Asylum requests of Liberians should be examined thoroughly
in fair and effective individual refugee status determination procedures with the
necessary procedural safeguards, taking into consideration the individual merits of
their asylum claim, based on the criteria in the 1951 Convention…Additionally, in light
of the particularly violent nature of the armed conflict in past years, asylum claims of
victims of particularly atrocious forms of persecution suffered in the past should be
examined taking into account the consequences and effects of such persecution on
the victims concerned where the continuing impact of the past persecution could put
the individuals at risk of serious harm to their well being if returned.” 456
o The Government of the United States should consider appropriate arrangements,
which would not put into jeopardy their established situation, for those persons who
cannot be expected to leave the country of asylum because of a long stay in that
country resulting in strong family, social, and economic links there. 457
Protection of the Family
As a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United States recognized
that “[t]he family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection
by society and the State.” 458 The unification of Liberian families is of primary concern, in particular
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