One story you might want to add to your site is that of a refugee who has been staying at our house for several months. Last November he was arrested by the INS when he tried to enter the U.S. illegally from Mexico. He is a very, very distant relation (his brother is my wife's sister's ex-husband), and the relatives in China begged us to help him. So I found a good immigration lawyer for him and got him out on bond. His petition for political asylum is still pending.
His initial translated statement is copied below:
======I was working in the No. 4 Forging and Stamping Steel Plant. I was an officer of the trade union. We wanted to reason things out and decide which side was right with the (Tianjin, China) city government regarding the issue of our lost jobs and unpaid salaries. We wanted to keep our jobs and receive our pay.
In Sept 25, 2001 I was with the chairman of our trade union, who now lives in San Francisco [Note: several names of other involved persons are also listed]. More than 300 workers went together to the city government offices. Finally, the person in charge of the government allowed us to enter the building to negotiate. Contrary to expectations, when we were inside the building they said we had committed insurrection. Saying we had broken the law of society, they arrested us. I was transported to the jail in a vehicle. The police interrogated us, asking which of us was responsible. We said we had just come naturally of our own accord to ask the government to pay the salary that we had earned. But they did not listen to us. I was persecuted by the police. They used batons to beat my wrists and lower back and they also kicked me with shoes. I endured inhuman treatment in jail for half a year. Finally, they allowed my relatives to pay 6,000 RMB for my release. I had to report to the police office every week.
Later I learned that the chairman of the trade union had gone to America. Because of the continuing lack of freedom and opportunity, I swore that I wanted to go to America, because America is a great county with freedom and human rights.
I ask to be allowed to stay in America. Please do not send me back to China. If a judge condemns me to go back, I would be better staying in an American jail. I do not want to go back to China.