As the worldwide struggle for freedom grows and the oppression increases to match there will be many more opportunities for us to provide asylum to dissidents both foreign and domestic. It is part of our revolutionary responsibility to find safe hideouts as well as assisting these front line fighters in continuing to fight in this worthy war. Always have an extra bed or couch ready in case there is a knock at two in the morning and a whispered plea "I need sanctuary".
The largest hazard is routine traffic stops and petty crime busts. These brushes with the cops bag more activists than real police work. Our Bedouin lifestyle makes finding us at any one address difficult.
It is important to provide any fugitive with a good set of matching identification and a good cover story, playing deaf is often easier than trying to cover an accent or inability to speak English. The importance of good fake identification papers will only intensify once a national ID system is implemented. See Identification Papers for more ideas.
The safest location to hide a fugitive is with a retired non-activist volunteer, think the auntie or grandmother type. They have the lowest priority on police lists and probably live in suburbia where the cops are called for loud parties. If the fugitive is trying to stay off the radar they must not use Internet or telephone from the safe house.
The asylum seeker must abandon or hide their vehicle in another city, vehicles are the easiest clue to find and trace back, a simple trade will inevitably lead back to our asylum seeker as well. Depending on how your host pays for food and supplies additional cash only, no club card purchases above and beyond what is normal should be made so a quick check of credit or club card purchases will not red flag the cops.
If you are unable to use an existing occupied residence as a safe house you will have to make the hideout as unnoticeable as possible whatever form that takes. A safe propane stove and several weeks of food, water, and fuel as well as some secure method of dealing with garbage and sewage are absolutely required for whatever accommodations you pick.
Changing clothing style and getting a haircut can alter appearance as can adding or removing glasses. Wigs and skin makeup are allot of trouble and a sure giveaway if left on too long.
If you are protecting a fugitive from a nation at odds with the United States it might be possible to obtain legal asylum from the state department and a legit residence visa. Having a pool of volunteers willing to get "married" to asylum seekers will increase the odds of success in getting a visa. Be in contact with an immigration attorney and always get advice from them about the current state of affairs with the State Department and what is the best course of action.
The following is directly from http://www.uscis.gov visti for more information.
You may apply even if you are in the US illegally. You may apply for asylum regardless of your immigration status as long as you file your application within one year of your last arrival or demonstrate that you are eligible for an exception to that rule based on changed circumstances or extraordinary circumstances, and that you filed for asylum within a reasonable amount of time given those circumstances.
The Asylum Officer or Immigration Judge will consider whether any bars to asylum apply. You will be barred from being granted asylum under INA - 208(b)(2) if you:
1. Ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion
2. Were convicted of a particularly serious crime (includes aggravated felonies). Committed a serious nonpolitical crime outside the United States
4. Pose a danger to the security of the United States
5. Firmly resettled in another country prior to arriving in the United States (see 8 CFR - 208.15 for a definition of “firm resettlement”)
You will also be barred from being granted asylum under INA - 208 if you are inadmissible under INA - 212(a)(3) (B) or removable under INA - 237(a)(4)(B) because you:
1. Have engaged in terrorist activity;
2. Are engaged in or are likely to engage after entry in any terrorist activity (a consular officer or the Attorney General knows, or has reasonable grounds to believe, that this is the case);
3. Have, under any circumstances indicating an intention to cause death or serious bodily harm, incited terrorist activity;
4. Are a representative of
1. a foreign terrorist organization, as designated by the Secretary of State under section 219 of the INA, or
2. a political, social, or other similar group whose public endorsement of acts of terrorist activity the Secretary of State has determined undermines United States efforts to reduce or eliminate terrorist activities;
5. Are a member of a foreign terrorist organization, as designated by the Secretary of State under section 219 of the INA, or which you know or should have known is a terrorist organization;
6. Have used a position of prominence within any country to endorse or espouse terrorist activity, or to persuade others to support terrorist activity or a terrorist organization, in a way that the Secretary of State has determined undermines United States efforts to reduce or eliminate terrorist activities.
Asylum status may be terminated if you no longer have a well-founded fear of persecution because of a fundamental change in circumstances, you have obtained protection from another country, or you have committed certain crimes or engaged in other activity that makes you ineligible to retain asylum status in the United States.
If the above does not help try contacting:
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
1775 K Street, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: (202) 296-5191
Website: http://www.unhcr.ch
Extreme care must be exercised and the strictest Security Culture must be followed when communicating with the outside world, see Communication for more ideas.
An important revolutionary act is to assemble support gear for those who have been driven underground. These are similar to what those in the survivalist movement call "bug out bags". We are a little more realistic and realize that the fantasy of running to the woods and living off of squirrels and berries is very far fetched even for a survival expert. These kits should have some wilderness gear but should be designed with urban survival and border crossing primarily.
It is OK to go with budget items, if that is what it takes to build more of these support kits. The finest mountaineering gear would probably not even be warranted where our underground fighters will be going. This is not to be left scattered around your house, everything should be loaded in the pack and stored in a dry place, you might store the food seperately in an easy to grab bag. It is very important to have one or more of these bags ready to go at very short notice. People need to know you are willing to provide these emergency support kits to fugitives. If somebody comes by your apartment at three in the morning with their face covered or turned away and loudly whispers "I need an escape kit" be happy that they are practicing Security Culture give them the kit and forget any identifiers so you won't be able to help the cops. You might also keep such a kit stashed someplace safe for fugitives to grab by themselves, see Caching. If you need to ask for a kit do it in a deniable way to keep the supporter out of trouble. It might do to have such a bag packed for yourself in case you are ever in trouble.
Look in Backpacking and Camping and Pack your bag for more item descriptions as well as ways to economize, of course look for the most generic gear possible to avoid attention. The suggested list:
Large frame backpack in good condition
Season appropriate jacket and clothing(is winter coming, what is the weather at the northern border)
Sleeping bag or blanket (a taped plastic cover might be good in rainy areas)
Tent or tarp tent (depending on climate plastic sheet tarp might be OK)
Stove and fuel or sterno and sterno stand (a can stand is OK)
Camping pots and handle
Eating utensils
"Stinger" water heater
Sleeping pad and/or hammock
Change of clothing or two (men's large pants and shirts fit most or can be cut off if you include a belt)
Sturdy shoes or boots (can be difficult because of sizing)
Batteries
Bottles for water
Ready to eat foods (tuna in bags, heavy cereal(like grapenuts), nuts, sweets, cheeses, sausages)
Easy to prep foods, couscous, raamen, soup base, condiments and spices
Instant coffee or tea (For long hours of running or driving)
Hair dryer (for heat and drying clothes)
Hat, clear safety glasses(should look like normal glasses), and sunglasses to disguise face, hair dye and bleach, razors, scissors, comb, mirror.
Printout of this book
Washcloth, towel, drain plug, and soap
Big black marker
Highway and local wilderness maps and compass
Other items might be appropriate depending on the conditions and needs of the underground for example a car, bicycle, weapons, cash, fake ID, communications equipment, whatever. A mobile phone, credit card, or calling card are all probably bad ideas since they are very easily tracked.