Renew Georgia Drivers License

Reform in Georgia

Georgia is entering a crucial period of transition and elections in 2012-13. In a Q&A, Thomas de Waal discusses Georgia’s democratic and economic outlook in the years ahead. He argues that although Georgia has taken steps toward reform, the governing elite has done little to build a sustainable model so far. There is responsibility on Washington and Brussels to hold the Georgian government to account for its actions.

Georgia is an interesting case in the post-Soviet space. It’s a non-conformist—it has always been different. On the one hand, it has a strong tradition of pluralism. But I would say that is not the same as being a full democracy. It has a tradition of having a rather lively parliament and a free press. Rather paradoxically, what we’ve seen in the past few years is this young, modernizing, dynamic government that has instituted lots of reforms, but at the same time, seems to be creating what is virtually a one-party state. Opposition parties are weak in Georgia and the parliament is less powerful. The government also controls the regional authorities and all the main television channels who support them.  

The government instituted many modernizing reforms, but we’re now seeing some signs of overreach. For example, the government inherited a situation back in 2003 and 2004 where there was a higher degree of corruption and criminality in society. What we’ve seen now is that one of the most effective reforms has been against petty corruption. Now, if you want to get a driver’s license or get your kid into university you no longer have to pay a bribe in Georgia and that is quite a big deal in the post-Soviet space. On the other hand, the police force is now extremely powerful—the most powerful institution in society. The prisons are full—on a per-capita basis, Georgia has the fifth highest prison population in the world after the United States, Russia, and a couple of other small countries. In criminal cases in Georgian courts, the acquittal rate is virtually zero at 0.04 percent. By cracking down on corruption and criminality—which was positive—Georgia has gone a long way toward looking like a benign police state.

Will I be granted asylum?

I recieved a traffic ticket for driving with an out of state license in Georgia. Georgia laws require you change your out of state license to Georgia license within 30 days. I had to appear in the court. I went to the court the judge told me that I need to go to jail and will only be finger printed and pay the fine and that's it. I went to the jail and got finger printed and obviously got caught by I.C.E. I was sitting in detention center for 3 weeks and got a bond after much difficulty. My case is that my dad came in US from Pakistan in 1997 on a parole with his family. He recieved a parole because he informed the government about the drug dealing going on between US and another country. He was promised a green card and million dollars. He signed few papers but they are not in our file. There are still pages missing for some reason. He didn't get the money, and when he called the immigration office to renew his parole, the immigration officer told him that they will call him because the file is private. The parole letter expired. My dad didn't know english back then as well. Well its 2011, my hearing will be Thursday. I wanted to know if there is any likely the judge will grant me asylum since my dad was the one that informed the government and not me. I just graduated with a bachelor, and don't have any criminal record at all. I pay taxes. I have social security. I came here when I was young, so the government lawyer can claim that people who my dad went against wont recognize me since I am old now. Any possibilities?? It is called public interest parole. Keep in mind that DHS might require you to leave and re-enter the US to get this parole. If this is the case, then be careful, because leaving the country will trigger the inadmissibility bar section 212(a)(9)(b). Even if DHS paroles you into the US, you will be inadmissible when you apply for adjustment of status in the future. Once again, don't leave the country even if DHS promises you that everything will be fine.

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