Amicus Brief: Arias v Ashcroft

Third Circuit: Human Rights First filed an amicus brief in the case of Arias v Ashcroft. This brief addresses the Board of Immigration Appeals’ holding that civilians who are extorted by terrorist organizations or forced to pay “taxes” to them on threat of harm have “engaged in terrorist activity.” Human Rights First is concerned that under this reading, a civilian who has been victimized by a terrorized organization by being coerced into paying funds will be treated as a terrorist himself and be barred from asylum in the United States. Human Rights First was represented by Edward Lazarus, Seth Stodder, and L. Rachel Helyar of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.