We first talked about that case here in the Senate a couple of weeks ago. There have been two extremely positive developments since then. First. the INS filed a brief with the Board of Immigration Appeals. arguingI believe for the first timethat the fear of female genital mutilation should present a sufficient cause to seek asylum in the United States. I do not think there should have been any question about this. If there is any doubt. we should amend this bill or law without hesitation to ensure that flight from such practices are covered by our asylum policies. as the Senator from Nevada has already suggested. Second. last Thursday. April 25. after more than a year in detention under conditions that subjected her to unnecessary hardship. Ms. Kasinga was finally released by INS to await determination by the Board on her asylum application. Her case was first reported on the front page of the April 15 New York Times by Celia Dugger. Both she and her newspaper deserve a great deal of credit for bringing this to our attention.
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asylum application asylum policies seek asylum Immigration