Kevin Piecuch, Muhanad Hnidi Chaer (center), and Usama Hnidi Chaer (his brother), having lunch at a Venezuelan restaurant shortly before Muhanad’s interview at the asylum office in Chicago.
by Adam Delezenne
Muhanad Hnidi Chaer fled his native Venezuela in May 2021 after receiving threats related to his employer, the state-owned petroleum company. The oil industry in Venezuela is the most lucrative in the country and, like the government of Venezuela, is known for its corruption. Muhanad publicly opposed that corruption and was known for his involvement in the protest movement for human rights against the Maduro regime.
He was threatened with death by a group known for making good on their threats. Knowing what has happened to others who oppose government policies in Venezuela, he traveled to the Detroit area where his brother, Usama, is living. His brother brought Muhanad to us to help him make an affirmative asylum application.
When you are already in the United States, there are two ways to apply for asylum; affirmatively or defensively. A defensive application is made by someone who is already in the deportation process as a bid to be able to remain in the country. In that case, a judge in immigration court decides whether the person can stay in the U.S. When a person like Muhanad enters the United States on a visa and decides to seek asylum, he can present his case to an asylum officer who decides whether or not to grant asylum based on an interview. For people living in Detroit, these interviews take place in Chicago.
In November, we accompanied Muhanad and Usama to Chicago for Muhanad’s interview. The attorney’s role is limited in these interviews but can still make the difference between approval and denial.
We believe that Muhanad’s asylum interview went well, and we wait in the hope of a favorable decision.
The Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center provides free and low-cost legal services to those who need them most in the Detroit area, with a focus on recent immigrants and refugees.
We were founded in 2014 by Kevin Piecuch, our Executive Director,
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