Chicago: A US immigration judge in Chicago has granted asylum to a Singaporean blogger, saying he was persecuted for his political opinions in the Southeast Asian city-state.

Amos Yee, 18, who had been jailed twice in Singapore, qualifies as a political refugee, according to a 13-page opinion by the US immigration judge handed down on Friday.

Yee is immediately eligible for release after having been held in US immigration detention since December 16, 2016, according to his attorney Sandra Grossman.

The Singapore Embassy in Washington could not be reached for comment after business hours on Friday evening.