6th Circuit: Deportee Failed To Prove Falun Gong Status

In Jiang v. Holder, (6th Cir., Aug. 7, 2009), the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ordered deportation of a citizen from China who came to the U.S. on a fiancee visa but never married her sponsor. Qiao Zhen Jiang however claimed that her removal should be withheld because she would face religious persecution upon her return. She contended that after entering the U.S. she began practicing Falun Gong. The court upheld the finding of the Immigration Judge that Jiang had failed to adequately prove her status as a Falun Gong practitioner.