Opinion ID: 2732873
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: 2011 Amended Asylum Application

Text: In March 2011, Zeng submitted a counseled, amended application for (1) asylum; (2) withholding of removal based on religion, political opinion, and 2 Mandarin and Fuzhounese (Foo Chow) are different dialects of the Chinese language. 3 Case: 13-14431 Date Filed: 09/15/2014 Page: 4 of 16 membership in a particular social group; and (3) CAT relief. She also submitted an amended personal statement, in which she alleged she and fellow Catholics in her village had held religious services at night, to avoid government detection. According to her amended personal statement, in late 1998, government officials raided the worshipers’ secret meeting place, although the priest and nuns were able to escape. The officials burned Zeng’s wrists with a cooking utensil and recorded her name and address, because Zeng refused to divulge the whereabouts of the escaped leaders. Zeng alleged that church raids continued in 1999, and many church followers were detained, injured, and jailed. She decided to flee China to avoid religious persecution. A fellow church member introduced Zeng to a ChineseAmerican, who arranged for Zeng to travel to the United States. Once she reached the United States, Zeng consulted with attorneys about seeking asylum, but was told she could not do so because of her K-1 visa. After Zeng married and had her second child, she again consulted with attorneys, who told her she could apply for political asylum if she had two children. Although Zeng told the attorneys about her religious persecution, they told her this issue would complicate her case, and she followed their advice to exclude it. 4 Case: 13-14431 Date Filed: 09/15/2014 Page: 5 of 16