Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Asylum or death?

---

Journalist fears for his life if he must return to Guatemala

BY MARK CURNUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Luis Alberto de Leon (Yoni Pozner photo) | ZOOM |

        Luis Alberto de Leon faces what he thinks could be a death sentence when an immigration judge rules Thursday on his request for political asylum.

        Mr. de Leon, 43, a Guatemalan immigrant who has lived in Cincinnati almost eight years, will find out whether he can stay or has to return to his homeland. His work there as a journalist critical of the govern ment and military during the nation's four-decade civil war, he says, has not been forgotten.

        “It will be the end of my life if I have to go back,” he said. “I told stories unpopular with the government about women whose husbands and children had been killed or disappeared. The army is waiting for me. My friends warned me not to report about that, but it's my job.”

        Mr. de Leon's hearing is at 1 p.m. at the Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse, downtown.

        Applicants for asylum must prove they have been persecuted or will be persecuted by a government that has the will to suppress them.

        “We don't win many asylums,” said Douglas Weigle, Mr. de Leon's lawyer. “It's tough to win when you haven't already been persecuted.”

        The strength of Mr. de Leon's case is his background as a journalist. Many journalists were among the more than 200,000 deaths and disappearances documented during Guatemala's 36-year civil war. Mr. de Leon also covered armed conflicts in Nicaragua and El Salvador. His radio dispatches and photographs were picked up by newspapers in his hometown of Guatemala City, the capital.

        “I wrote for the people,” he said over lunch at the Finneytown Perkins restaurant. “I did no favors for the government. I did no favors for the army. My sister said two men in suits visited her asking about me. She said she didn't know what happened to me.”

        He was employed as a journalist and public relations professional for the National Institute of Agrarian Information, writing for a target audience of farmers.

        Fearing for his life, Mr. de Leon fled his home in 1991, leaving behind his wife, four children and his sister.

        “I have not seen my family in eight years,” he said. “Everybody changes in eight years. My kids don't know me too well. I have five grandkids now I have not seen.

        “My wife told me she needed a divorce. She said she lost her love for me because I was gone too long.”

        His path here went through Mexico and Brownsville, Texas. He was brought to Cincinnati by La Amistad, a local ministry that provides temporary housing and assistance to Central American refugees. La Amistad was founded in 1983 by the New Jerusalem Community, a lay Catholic organization in Winton Place.

        Mr. de Leon acclimated himself by learning English at Travelers Aid International, now part of Family Service of the Cincinnati Area. He would attend class and study during the day. He works second shift at Serta.

        And, important in his asylum application, he stayed out of legal trouble. Not so much as a traffic stop.

        “I don't smoke or drink,” he said. “Immigration (the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service) says you can't have a problem. A lot of people who have come here from other countries have come here because they killed someone. My record is clear in Guatemala, too. I came here to save my life and to work.”

        After a peace accord was signed in Guatemala in December 1996, some refugees returned. Mr. de Leon said one of his former teachers, a journalist by trade, was living in Canada and went home thinking he would be safe.

        “They killed him,” Mr. de Leon said. “Two weeks after he got back.”

        Asylum agents often point to changing political climates in a nation when determining applications. The 1996 peace agreement in Guatemala has not helped Mr. de Leon's case.

        Mr. de Leon wants to stay in the United States and reunite with his children. He and his wife have divorced. If the decision goes against him Thursday, he will likely appeal, a process that could take another year, during which he would be allowed to keep working. If the appeals decision would go against him, he could go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati.

        “I spend much money to prove my case,” Mr. de Leon said. “I have preparation for everything. I have proof I am a good man.”

        He is sustained by his faith in God and the dream of one day seeing his children in the United States.

        “I need my family, like any man needs his family,” he said. “I cry at night sometimes for a member of my family. I am a good man.”

        His employer, Serta Mattress Co., Queensgate, vouches for his character. A Serta supervisor, Tom Acree, went with Mr. de Leon to help him buy a car. Mr. de Leon paid off the car loan early. He has an Employment Authorization Card that allows him to work but is not valid for re-entry into the United States. The card will expire Aug. 7.

        “He is a very hard worker,” Mr. Acree said. “He has put himself in a position to be promoted.”

        The promotion decision, of course, is on hold.

       

---

Odyssey team world-class as kids, too
Fountain fix-up funds flowing in
'Star Wars' ticket adventure begins
Asylum or death?
Expansions, new building urged for Lakota
Findlay Market to fight crime
Coaster fans ready for 'Son of Beast'
House Senate rejects 'lemon' on title
Patton enjoys Aquarium preview
Potential Flynt jurors answer frank questions frankly
Summer bus fares will drop to 50Ä from airport to Kings Island
Ted Turner comes home to champion environment
Tornado widow feels pain, pride at son's kindergarten graduation
Cop's career jeopardized by fight with girlfriend
County cop charged with shoplifting
Kenton narrows jail sites to four
Lucas has 1st GOP opponent
CCM dean Werner to retire
Fat's a fact
GET TO IT
Alarms could link to city network
County, Cheviot reach accord on dispatch bill
Empty buildings may get fix-up
Forest Park asks for help to widen U.S. 127
GOP candidates debate
Homes and businesses expected on Monroe site
Miami won't fight hiring ruling
New ozone notch added for the 'sensitive'
Panel to explain Ohio 4 plan
Roselawn art focuses on diversity
School nurses dole out care
Sentencing postponed for former reporter
Teacher cooks up interest in science
TRISTATE DIGEST
Unions fret over health care cost
Y closes building after fire to assess