West African Teen Awaits Asylum Ruling

A West African teenager is awaiting a judge’s ruling on his request for asylum in the United States after a lengthy hearing that involved a mountain of evidence and questioning that critics called absurd.

Malik Jarno says he will be persecuted if he is returned to Guinea. The government opposes the asylum request but immigration reform advocates say his case is emblematic of the difficulties faced by an estimated 5,000 children who enter the country unaccompanied each year. The advocates have drawn support from about 70 members of Congress. A ruling is expected next month.