15-Year-Old Seeks Asylum in U.S.

WASHINGTON —  A 15-year-old Iraqi girl who came to America for medical treatment is seeking political asylum, claiming persecution at home because her family cooperated with the U.S. military.

The petition, under review by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, seeks safe haven for the girl and her mother, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation against family members still in Baghdad. Several of them have been shot at and one was killed, according to the petition.

The case, which is expected to be decided Tuesday, is believed to be among the first instances of an Iraqi seeking political asylum in the United States. A victory could open the door for other Iraqis in the United States who claim persecution for reasons other than race, religion or political opinion.

“Here, it’s just their association with the U.S. military that’s causing the problems,” said Jeff Sullivan, a Washington lawyer who is representing the mother and daughter. “Something has to be done.”

The girl began having pains last year from a growth in her cervix that was later determined to be cancerous, the petition states. But after consulting 27 Iraqi doctors, none said they could provide the appropriate treatment.

Finally, the mother approached U.S. Army doctors in Baghdad, who arranged for treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

The girl’s treatment last fall was successful, and she is expected to fully recover.

But after she and her mother left Baghdad, family members began receiving death threats from insurgents who resented the girl’s special attention from U.S. troops, the petition states, citing sworn affidavits from Army officers.

Members of the girl’s family also have provided the U.S. military with “actionable intelligence” on the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein’s cohorts and purported bomb factories, although it’s unclear whether that’s widely known, said Army Col. Frederick Gerber, who submitted an affidavit in the case.

Subsequently, the girl’s uncle was killed in March, and several relatives, including a cousin who resembles her, were shot at and injured. Two weeks ago, insurgents painted graffiti on the family’s home, stating “Dead soon” and “Long live Saddam Hussein,” the mother said.

Political asylum cases are typically hard to win, legal experts said, because government officials don’t want a flood of applications they can’t handle.