Immigration Weekly Round-Up: Attorney General Expands Eligibility for Asylum; Employment to Be Authorized for Immigrants Who Are Victims of Crimes; Biden to Continue Family Reunification Efforts
Friday, June 18, 2021
A.G. Rules in Favor of Victims of Domestic and Gang Violence
On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland rescinded a Trump-era decision that had made it much more difficult for victims of domestic abuse and gang violence to apply for asylum in the United States.
In a detailed legal opinion, Garland determined that the decision of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatened “to create confusion and discourage careful case-by-case adjudication of asylum claims” because it improperly created a “strong presumption against asylum claims based on private conduct” rather than the actions of government officials. Because a large percentage of asylum seekers from Mexico, Central America, and South America fear returning to their countries of origin based upon experiences of gender-based violence and/or gang extortion and retribution, this decision has the potential to impact thousands of immigrants currently seeking protection in the United States. Immigrant rights advocates widely praised the decision, with Karen Musalo, director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, stating she was “very heartened that those who are still to apply and those whose cases are still in the system will have the benefit of removing this prejudicial prejudging of their cases.”
The decision will apply to the immigration courts and to the Board of Immigration Appeals, both of which are under the umbrella of the Department of Justice.
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/immigration-weekly-round-attorney-general-expands-eligibility-asylum-employment-to
