Kelley Drye Successful in Pro Bono Asylum Case

Kelley Drye successfully represented, pro bono, a national of the Republic of Eritrea, Africa in his application for asylum before the Immigration Court, which was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. The client was subject to persecution in Eritrea due to his religious beliefs, national origin and political opposition to the practices of the Eriterean ruling party. He arrived in New York in early August 2002, and had been held in detention by the Immigration and Naturalization Service for seven months.

The Kelley Drye team participated in three lengthy hearings and produced numerous affidavits from witnesses in Eritrea, South Africa and the United States. Due in large part to the efforts of Associates Jonathan Kim and Eric Lin, the client was granted asylum in the United States and released from detention.