This part of Form I-589 has 4 questions. This is where you say why you are applying for asylum. The questions ask why you are afraid to return home and what harm you have experienced. If you need more space, you can write on Supplement B at the end of Form I-589. You can also attach additional pages with your complete story. The table has tips for filling out Part B. It also has an example.
Question 1. Why are you applying for asylum?
Check all the reasons that apply to you, your family, friends, and colleagues.
Check the “Torture Convention” box here if:
- You are afraid of being tortured if your return home, AND
- You the box on page 1 for “Withholding of Removal Under the Convention Against Torture”
Example: Ixchel checked 2 boxes:
- Race
- Membership in a particular social group
Question 1A. Have you, your family, close friends, or colleagues ever experienced harm or mistreatment or threats in the past by anyone?
If you check “yes,” write what happened in as much detail as you can. Be certain about the facts you share. Your story needs to be the same every time you tell it. Include:
- Specific facts. Don’t use general statements.
- Information about the person or group responsible for causing the harm.
- What you believe will happen if you return to your country.
Example: My father was abusive to my mother, my siblings, and me. My mother died when I was young and my father would hit us and punish us severely. I was very afraid. We went to live with my grandmother for a time but my father would look for us and always make us come back to his house and it would start again. I was scared every time he was in the house with us that he would hit us or even kill us. I was just a kid and had no one to protect me. The police in Guatemala do not care about these situations. My grandmother became too old to take care of my siblings and I and try to protect us from our father so we fled to the United States to escape his abuse.
Also, I am indigenous and my family speaks Quiche as their first language. I often felt like the other kids at school would bully me because I am indigenous.
Question 1B. Do you fear harm or mistreatment if you return to your home country?
Check “yes” if you fear you will be arrested, tortured, or killed if you return home. Describe in as much detail as you can what you think will happen. Include:
- Who you are afraid of and why you think they will harm you. You don’t have to state the name of the person or people you fear if you do not know their names. You do need to name the group the person belongs to if you know the group name.
- Try to say how the harm is tied to your race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, political opinion, gender, or membership in a social group.
Example: I believe that my father will harm me if I return to Guatemala. He has repeatedly hit me and threatened to kill me. When my siblings and I have tried to go live with my grandmother in the past he has found us and made us go back to live with him. I think he will do this because he believes that as my father, he has the right to treat me this way because I am his child. No one is there to help you. Especially if you are indigenous. The police do not concern themselves with family matters.
Question 2. Have you or your family members ever been accused, charged, arrested, detained, interrogated, convicted and sentenced, or imprisoned in any country other than the United States (including for an immigration law violation)?
If you checked “yes,” describe what happened in as much detail as possible.
Question 3A. Have you or your family members ever belonged to or been associated with any organizations or groups…?
If you checked “yes,” explain what group. Include:
- If you think you will be harmed because of your activities within a particular organization or movement. Describe what those activities are.
If you belonged to or supported a para-military or guerrilla organization, or any armed group, consult an immigration attorney before completing this application.
Example: My family is Kʼicheʼ (Quiché). We are one of the indigenous groups in Guatemala. Also, I went to a Catholic church in Guatemala with my grandmother.
Question 3B. Do you or your family members continue to participate in any way in these organizations or groups?
If you checked “yes,” explain your role or your family’s role in the group. Include:
- Leadership positions held.
- Activities you participate in.
Example: My family is Kʼicheʼ (Quiché). We are one of the indigenous groups in Guatemala. In the United States I have found a new church that I go to with my aunt each week.
Question 4. Are you afraid of being subjected to torture in your home country or any other country to which you may be returned?
If you checked “yes,” explain in as much detail what you think will happen to you. The torture must be by the government or with the government’s consent. The torture can be mental, physical, or both. The torture does not have to be because of race, nationality, political opinion, membership in a social group or religion. Include:
- Who you think will torture you and why.
- If you were tortured in the past and what happened to you.
Example: I am afraid I will be beaten and tortured and even killed by my father if I go back. I am afraid he will find me and the police will not do anything to protect me. The police in Guatemala believe the parents and not the kids.
