Amos Yee
asylum appeal 'likely to be expedited': Lawyer
SINGAPORE: The appeal against Singaporean teen blogger Amos Yee
before the US' Board of Immigration Appeals "will likely be
expedited" as he remains in detention, a lawyer representing him
said on Friday (Apr 28).
In an email, Mr Christopher Keeler, a co-counsel for Yee from legal
firm Grossman Law, told Channel NewsAsia that the US government
appealed immigration judge Samuel Cole's ruling to grant the teen
asylum there. It was filed on Apr 4 - within the 30-day window
after the initial ruling was made, he added.
Mr Keeler said that as the appeal is a written one, meaning there
will be no oral hearings in front of the Board, briefs are due by
May 11, and the law firm is currently in the middle of drafting the
brief in support of Yee's case.
"We expect that the Board should rule on the matter in about six to
eight weeks, but that time frame could easily be shorter or longer
depending on the Board's schedule," he said, adding that both sides
will have a chance to appeal the decision to federal court
after.
The US lawyer said Yee is likely to remain detained until his case
is final and, should there be an appeal on the decision, he could
be detained for much longer.
The law firm has made several requests for Yee to be released
from detention, given that he is not a flight risk and poses no
threat to the community. "However, ICE (Immigration and Customs
Enforcement) has denied all of our requests," he said.
Yee's mother, Madam Mary Toh, confirmed last December that he was
detained in the United States. According to US-based Singaporean
civil activist Melissa Chen, the 18-year-old was detained after he
landed at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.
The Singaporean was sentenced in July 2015 to four weeks' jail for
wounding the religious feelings of Christians and Muslims, and was
sentenced to another six weeks' jail for the same offence last
September.
Source: CNA/kk