As reported in an earlier posting, in August the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals which refused to permit a Chinese Christian who claimed religious persecution to remain in the United States. The controversial decision held that the petitioner had been punished at home for violating China's law on unregistered churches and not because of his religion. But now the government has had a change of heart. Jubilee Campaign, an international human rights organization, worked with Congressional officials and others to get a reversal of policies within the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department. Yesterday Agape Press reported that the efforts have been successful.
On October 4, in a surprise move, DHS filed a "Motion to Reopen and Withdrawal of Appeal" with the Board of Immigration Appeals. Then the DOJ's Board of Immigration Appeals reinstated the original decision of the immigration judge that had allowed respondent Li to stay in the United States.
