Would the US Immigration Grant Asylum for Al Qaeda or

 Ginbot 7?

Dag Dange 04/28/09

A very ironic title for an article, but only intended to show few facts on how the US asylum process has been compromised, by scruples Immigration Lawyers and a US based terrorist group called Ginbot 7.

In the last several months, we have all read and heard the intentions of Ginbot 7 leaders’ public declaration of an Al Qaeda style insurgency to destabilize and overthrow an elected government in Ethiopia. Many of us, as I did, laughed it off as another hot air of a bruised ego.

Last week, it was reported by several news agencies that the Ethiopian Anti-Terrorist Task force foiled the groups under ground activity and its plan to commit terrorism in Ethiopia. Caught red handed all with smoking guns and stocks of US currency. This became a no laughing matter for me!

 Dumb founded by the group’s capacity to finance such operations; I did a few phone inquiry and ended up with more disturbing fact on how the group does its fundraising by prying on Ethiopians who reside in the US without a proper residency papers.

Touring several US cities, the group has claimed that its leader, Berhanu Nega, has met several Congressmen and State Department Officials, and that Berhanu Nega has the green light and the blessing to form his organization-Ginbot7!. Moreover, they urged the audience to contribute more money for future planned activities and advised those Ethiopians without residency papers to become members in exchange for $500 and a certificate to prove membership that will automatically qualify them to get an asylum. See certificate used on ginbot7.org.  

Though it is not new that one country’s terrorist can legally hide in another country to be used as a negotiating card, I wonder why America tolerates such a scam that subverts its legal system. America harasses Pakistan all the time to deliver Bin Laden and other wanted terrorists on its list yet Ethiopia’s most wanted terrorist roam America freely!

After reading and viewing video clips on the failure of Ginbt7’s terror activities in Ethiopia, both with joy and shock last week and this week, I was expecting a show down between Ethiopia and the US on the extradition of Dr. Berhanu Nega from Pennsylvania. Dismayed by the silence, I have quietly decided that Pennsylvania will become my Tora Bora, and guessing from the anger that was generated against this group in the Diaspora, I think the Keystone state is now the official Tora Bora for Ethiopians