Woman with Albinism Denied US Asylum, Faces Deportation to Uganda

Growing up and living with albinism in rural Nigeria was tough for Ladidi Shaibu. She and her two siblings with the condition were shrouded in stigma and lived in constant fear of being mutilated or killed. Her sister was attacked twice and her brother was kidnapped as a child by people who wanted to sell his body parts.

Three years ago, Shaibu, 35, entered the US via the border with Mexico and registered as an asylum seeker. Her brother had already been granted asylum and her sister’s case was soon to be successful, too.

But in March she was informed that her claim would not be heard and that she would be deported to Uganda instead – a country in east Africa deemed safe by the US Department of Homeland Security.

“I was devastated and shocked when the judge denied my case,” says Shaibu. “All the evidence was there – my siblings were attacked in Nigeria.

“In Uganda the same thing happens, they take people for [witchcraft] rituals and everything. I don’t know what else they needed for me to show them that I have a legitimate case.”

Albinism is an inherited genetic condition that reduces the amount of melanin pigment formed in the skin, hair and eyes. It occurs in all ethnic groups throughout the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of albinism is the highest worldwide, and it affects more than one in 4,000 people in some countries, according to the World Health Organization.

In countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria and Uganda, people with albinism face severe threats, including ritual killings, rape and mutilation. These attacks are driven by harmful superstitions that their body parts bring wealth, political success and good luck.

Shaibu’s lawyer, Ravindar Arora, who also represented her two siblings, calls the decision to deny her asylum “ridiculous”.

“Having worked as an immigration lawyer in the US for 15 years, I’ve got a good sense of what is a winnable asylum claim and what’s not,” he says. “This should have been a slam dunk.”

He adds that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has been playing havoc with people’s lives and his job. “It’s insane. Trump’s first term was not great … attorney generals were plucking out cases, writing their own decisions and overturning decades of precedent in the process. That was bad enough. This is easily 10 times worse.”

According to Ikponwosa Ero, director of advocacy at Under the Same Sun, a charity helping people with albinism, the rise of anti-immigrant rhetoric and far-right movements in the US and Europe is leading to more asylum claims for people with albinism being denied.

“[These cases were successful] up until the last couple of years, with the changes in administrations worldwide where people are looking more inward,” she says. “Before that, we had an estimate of an over-90% success rate. But with the changes in administrations and political approaches [that’s no longer the case].”

Under the Trump administration, the US has entered into several new asylum cooperative agreements (ACAs) – accords that allow governments to transfer asylum seekers to third countries rather than adjudicating their claims domestically.

Under these arrangements, people may be removed to a “safe third country”, even if they have no ties to that nation. One exception to the ACAs is if someone would be persecuted or tortured in the third country.

Arora says he submitted evidence in Shaibu’s case showing that people with albinism are not safe in Uganda. “We even had an expert witness testify, who is from Uganda and who lives with albinism. The judge tried to turn that around on us and said she was living in Uganda, so it must be safe,” he says.

The Ugandan government’s action plan for persons with albinism 2020-25 says they are “a vulnerable group that faces multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and human rights violations”.

It adds: “They have been subjected to discrimination, banishment, cutting of body parts and amputation of limbs, torture, and murder due to … unfounded beliefs [in witchcraft].”

Arora believes Shaibu has a strong case and even if it is rejected at the next stage, the Board of Immigration Appeals, they will appeal again.

Shaibu, who has married and had a child since she arrived in the US, says: “I don’t even know what to think. I was really hopeful and then my [asylum request] was denied. Still, I remain hopeful that I will be able to pursue my goals and live a normal life here.”