NY appeals court rules Chinese spouses not automatically entitled to U.S. asylum

Associated Press - July 16, 2007 12:03 PM ET

NEW YORK (AP) - A federal appeals court has ruled that the spouses of women affected by China's coercive population control program do not automatically qualify for asylum.

The decision by the court in New York conflicts with rulings by several other federal appeals courts, along with the findings of the Board of Immigration Appeals and ten years of rulings in immigration cases.

The court's opinion says the court agrees that US law does not automatically grant asylum to spouses.

Human rights activists have complained that China's family planning policy has led to forced abortions, sterilizations and a dangerously imbalanced sex ratio.

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