Our client, a citizen of Iraq, was targeted by Shia militia on account of the fact that he was a Sunni Muslim. He could not go to the local police because they would not protect him as they were also Shia Muslims. He was able to come to the U.S. on a J visa and we filed his asylum application. Although, ordinarily, asylum requires that the applicant prove that they fear the government, in this case, USCIS approved the case based on our argument that the government of Iraq was unwilling to control the extremist elements of their population, namely the Shia militia groups.
