In The Media

"...Mr. Wu [Lu Zhong] was among the 286 Chinese illegal immigrants who packed themselves in 1993 into the infamous smuggling ship called the Golden Venture...Mr. Wu went to the York County Prison in southern Pennsylvania...On Tuesday evening, he left his cell a free man, thanks to an I.N.S. decision reclassifying him as an "alien of extraordinary ability"...He is the first Golden Venture passenger to receive this special designation. Indeed, three immigration lawyers working in his behalf - John Assadi, Jun Wang and Helen Morris - say he may well be the first person ever to earn this status from prison."

"...The Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) decision to reclassify Wu as an 'alien of extraordinary ability in the arts' makes him eligible for permanent residence...Wu is the first illegal alien whose talen was spawned by jail life and recognized there. 'It's difficuly enough to be in jail, but to be creative and be recognized for it by the people who are making you prisoner is extraordinary,' says John Assadi, one of the pro-bono lawyers who coordinated Wu's petition for the artist visa."

"...'[A]liens with extraordinary ability'...is not a description of an especially poised visitor from another planet but a Government classification of a distinguished, and human, immigrant...Neal Hicks, from England, has helped uncover human-rights abuses in the Middle East and North Africa... Mr. Hicks's work visa was about to expire last year when his lawyer, John Assadi, tried the 'extraordinary' route."

"The Nets added size and depth today when they signed the 7-foot-7-inch Gheorghe Muresan and the small forward Scott Burrell to one-year contracts. But their most intriguing move of the day was working out Lazaro Borrell, one of four basketball players who defected from Cuba during last month's Olympic qualifying tournament in San Juan, P.R...[Borrell's] lofty status in Cuba brought him the acquaintance of Yankees pitcher Orlando Hernandez, who was the country's top pitcher. In fact, John Assadi, the lawyer who helped Hernandez acquire his green card, is working with [David] Ironman on Borrell's situation."

By John Assadi; Craig T. Donovan