Paperless: Living in Limbo

A defining practice of Western governments is to construct groups of outsiders as Other to restrict immigration. In Norway one such group - which has no ethnic or religious boundaries - defined as Other are paperless immigrants who have lost their asylum status; they remain in the country illegally after two asylum rejections; the problem for many is that given the situations they fled it's not possible or is dangerous to return to their homelands. Najah Alnasrawi, 46, is a twice rejected asylum seeker from Iraq. She said she fled an abusive ex-husband after she "bought shame to his name by getting a divorce." In Norway, she, like many in her situation, has adopted a nomadic lifestyle - regularly moving - to avoid deportation or becoming a burden to friends (who provide a place to stay). While the government has assigned her a room at a refugee camp she doesn't stay, because it's not uncommon for the police to show up looking for someone who immigration authorities have decided it's time to return home.