U.S. Asylum for Torture Victims

I am in full agreement with “Don’t Railroad Asylum,” by Cheri Ho (Commentary, July 12). As a law student in New York City in 1995, I interned with Catholic Charities’ legal clinic. It was an incredible experience to be entrusted with the applications and appeals of people who had been tortured, beaten and imprisoned. One of my clients was a 15-year-old boy. All of my clients needed many sessions to fully detail their experience, and all of their stories, told through interpreters, were incredible. It was only after researching “country conditions” through U.S. State Department and Amnesty International reports that I could write their stories, incorporating the country reports to “prove” their stories were credible.

These people are traumatized and it is difficult work to sort out their stories. They are afraid their lawyers will not believe them, or that we will find fault with them for not “standing up and fighting” or for “making trouble.” I cannot believe that we will force these people to speak to INS officers without the assistance of an attorney or law student.

I hope the Senate realizes that refugees need and deserve due process of the law. Sen. Dianne Feinstein deserves our support for her vote against expedited exclusion.

MERRITT McKEON

Laguna Beach