The Wheels of Justice Often Turn Slowly

Kiel McElveen and Ryan Young

It is said the wheels of justice turn slowly. This has especially been the case for many asylum seekers. Kiel McElveen and Ryan Young represented an Ethiopian man seeking asylum through a referral from The Advocates for Human Rights. Their client was a member of the Oromo ethnic group in Ethiopia. The Oromo people are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia but hold very little political power in the national government and have been persecuted by the national government for many years.

The client, a field epidemiologist who studied outbreaks and other public health emergencies. He had advocated for many years for the self-rule of Oromia by the Oromo people, and as a result was detained, tortured and prevented from working in his chosen field by the Ethiopian government. Due to this treatment and a well-founded fear of further persecution and torture, the client fled to the United States, leaving behind his pregnant wife and young child.

Kiel and Ryan worked with the client on his asylum application, which they filed in December 2016, and were with him for his interview with the Department of Homeland Security on April 20, 2018. The team, client and his family anxiously awaited a decision on his application.

After five long years, Kiel and Ryan’s client recently received notice that he was granted asylum. The client, who has worked at Medtronic and other health-related companies, will now be able to apply to have his wife and two young sons, ages eight and five, join him in the United States.