Chinese Christian Member Of Unregistered Church Granted Asylum

Last week, the Department of Justice Executive Office For Immigration Review's Houston Immigration Court found that the heightened risks for unregistered church members in China is a change of circumstances that justifies granting a previously denied application for asylum. In the high profile case of In the Matter of Li, Xiaodong, (Oct. 3, 2006), the Immigration Court held that Xiaodong Li should be granted asylum. These developments, reported by the Alliance Defense Fund, follow a widely reported 2005 Fifth Circuit decision in the case upholding a denial of asylum. However that decision was vacated later in 2005 after the government agreed to reopen the case based on new evidence.