DASAP Deported Asylum Seekers

Providing direct support to asylum seeking refugees after
deportation from the United States

DASAP's mission is to assist people, who sought asylum in the United States, were detained, sometimes for years, denied sanctuary and ultimately deported back to the country they fled.

HEAR THEIR STORIES

Checks may be made payable to DASAP and mailed to 10 Oak Meadow Drive Leeds, Alabama 35094

DASAP is a 501c3 Nonprofit Organization

DASAP's Goals

Short-term Goal: Safety

To react to the deportation of asylum-seeking refugees by providing direct support in the form of housing, food, and basic living expenses. Most people need to relocate to another country as quickly as possible and register with the United Nations High Commision for Refugees (UNHCR) in order to receive protection. According to the the most recent report by Human Rights Watch: "Government forces subjected Cameroonian asylum seekers deported from the United States to serious human rights violations following their return, including physical assault and abuse, arbitrary arrest and detention, extortion, and confiscation of identity documents, thus impeding freedom of movement, ability to work, and access to public services."

Mid-term Goal: Independence

To assist asylum-seeking refugees in recapturing their basic human rights and a life without fear of imprisonment, torture, or death. Beyond basic living expenses, DASAP seeks to provide opportunities for a life with purpose. Assistance, in the form of grants and micro-loans, are needed for job training and start up costs for small businesses.

Long-term Goal: Justice

To obtain "due process" under international law for refugees whose human rights have been violated while held in ICE Detention and eventually deported to countries well known for crimes against humanity,

goals

Some great news!

It's a beginning toward the goal of self sufficiency. One of our asylum seekers started a small shop in Nigeria where he is selling palm oil, tiger nuts, candy and drinks. We can't wait to watch this business grow.

DASAP has helped several of our residents obtain medicine for Malaria as the rainy season has led to massive outbreaks.

Without DASAP's assistance this man would not receive proper care in the prison hospital.

TPS for Cameroon was granted. Thank you to all people who helped make it happen.

How it Began

In October/November 2020, the United States government deported roughly 80 Cameroonian asylum seekers back to their home country and ultimately life-threatening conditions.

These refugees had escaped arrest, political persecution, and a genocidal civil war. They'd survived the journey through the perilous Darién Gap and lived to tell the tale of the dangerous migratory trail. When they finally reached the United States border and legally requested asylum in the U.S., they were detained and imprisoned under the hand of US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). Many were held in inhumane detention centers for years without due process.

In collaboration with Omni Air International, US ICE Enforcement & Removals Operations sent these asylum seekers, some with open cases, right back to the harm they'd fled. This is clearly in violation of the principle of non-refoulment. Some have simply "gone missing." Others are in prison. Most are in hiding in fear for their lives.

about

About our Cause

DASAP began with an effort to help people who had been in ICE detention for years and then deported to countries well know for human rights violations. A small group of volunteers formed and began searching for information about the fate of those deported. Some of the deportees were in jails or hiding from the military police. The jails in Douala, Cameroon look like something from medieval times. Crowded cells, with no source of water or sanitary conditions for relieving oneself, is the norm in Cameroon.

What We Do

Through a variety of sources, information was shared about bonds, paroles, and options to support people in obtaining needed documents to escape persecution in their home countries. Through the efforts of many people in Cameroon, the US, UK, Canada and neighboring countries, DASAP has been able to assist over a dozen people in Cameroon who had been unfairly deported in October and November 2020. Working with the UNHCR in Nigeria and Ghana, DASAP has been able to provide housing and financial support during the time of transition for these refugees.

Many more people are on the list of deportees and they are living in constant fear. They are desperate to reach a place where they can live, work and provide for themselves and their families in a safe and welcoming environment.

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