1.   Among other actions, lawyers for the men submitted several applications for political asylum, and the judges scheduled several asylum hearings in August and September.

2.   At an asylum hearing, a person can ask the U.S. government to protect him and not force him to return to his home country.

3.   Asylum hearings for the men, who are all from Fujian Province, are not expected to begin until early August.

4.   A federal appeals court had determined that Elian could remain in the United States at least a while longer, until an asylum hearing next month.

5.   A federal court in Atlanta announced Thursday morning that it would not force the U.S. government to grant Elian Gonzalez an asylum hearing.

6.   He has filed an appeal with a federal court in Atlanta to compel the Immigration and Naturalization Service to grant the boy an asylum hearing.

7.   He is asking the Atlanta court to compel the Immigration and Naturalization Service to grant Elian an asylum hearing.

8.   Immigration officials requested that an asylum hearing that had been scheduled for Friday be postponed until U.S. officials weigh the validity of the rape charges.

9.   If the court grants the petition, Gonzales plans to request a federal asylum hearing.

10.   Immigrants on police watch lists roam freely for years before they have an asylum hearing.