Lawyers: Albanian family in Texas wins asylum
May 8, 2012, 2:28 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) – Lawyers for an Albanian family in a protracted fight for political asylum say the Obama administration will allow them to remain in the United States.
The decision to grant asylum to Edmond Demiraj (DEH’-meh-rye), his wife and son comes 10 years after Demiraj said a federal prosecutor promised him and his family a life in the United States in exchange for testimony against a reputed Albanian mobster.
Immigration officials had repeatedly turned down asylum applications for Demiraj’s wife and son, despite what the government conceded was a credible threat to their safety if sent back to Albania. The Demirajs live in the Houston area.
Lawyer Joshua Rosenkranz said Tuesday he applauds “the decision to right a grave wrong.”
The prosecutor, Marina Garcia Marmolejo, has since become a federal judge.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
