Around 13,500, mainly Chinese, immigrants, given asylum in the US before December 2012 could be deported because of possible lies on their applications. A National Republic Radio (NPR) report has revealed that US officials are reviewing 3,500 asylum cases and as many as 10,000 derivative cases involving family members.
Anyone granted asylum in the US can petition US Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS) to also allow members of their family to stay in the country with derivative status, which does not expire so long as the circumstances of the individual given asylum do not change. The asylum cases are being reviewed because officials arrested during Operation Fiction Writer dealt with them. Federal prosecutors conducted the investigation in 2012 in New York, targeting 30 interpreters, paralegals, and immigration lawyers suspected of immigration fraud.
Immigrants in Chinatown, Manhattan, and in Flushing, were given help to gain asylum in the US with fraudulent stories of persecution in their home country, according to federal prosecutors. The cases are being reviewed to make sure that those granted asylum gained it lawfully, and to ensure the integrity of the system, said USCIS spokeswoman, Katherine Tichacek.
Chinese immigrants have been given asylum more often than any other nationality, according to NPR. In 2016, 22% of immigrants given asylum were Chinese, with second place going to immigrants from El Salvador, at 10%.