Sessions moves to block asylum for most victims of domestic, gang violence

Attorney General Jeff Sessions moved Monday to make it more difficult for victims of domestic violence and other crimes to seek asylum in the U.S.

The 31-page decision narrows the grounds for asylum for victims of “private crime” and will cut off an avenue to refuge for women fleeing to the United States from Central America.

“The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes – such as domestic violence or gang violence – or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim,” Sessions said in the opinion.

The legal guidance is the latest step in a broad crackdown on undocumented immigration under President Donald Trump. In early May, the administration began to refer all people suspected of crossing the border illegally for federal prosecution, a controversial move that increased the likelihood of family separation.

Trump and top officials frequently describe the asylum system as rife with “loopholes” that draw migrants to the U.S. from Central America. The administration seeks to revise human trafficking laws and override court decisions that prevent the swift removal of thousands of children and families who arrive at the southwest border each month.

From his perch atop the Justice Department, Sessions has also sought to tighten immigration laws. The attorney general has personally intervened in several cases before the Board of Immigration Appeals, which falls under the aegis of his department.

In his ruling Monday, Sessions brushed aside critics who argued that he should recuse himself because as a senator and attorney general he’s been a vocal public advocate for a crackdown on undocumented immigration and for limiting grants of asylum.

“If policy statements about immigration-related issues were a basis for disqualification, then no attorney general could fulfill his or her statutory obligations to review the decisions of the Board,” Sessions wrote.

The decision issued Monday, in a case known as the Matter of A-B, addresses whether a person who is the victim of private criminal activity qualifies as a member of a “particular social group” eligible for asylum in the U.S.

Asylum seekers must prove they have a credible fear of persecution in their home country, but that fear must also be based on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

In 2014, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that “married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship” constitute a social group under the standard, which bolstered the claims of women fleeing violence in Central America.

Sessions said the 2014 decision lacked “the rigorous analysis” required to establish precedent and overrode the ruling.

“Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum,” the attorney general wrote.

The asylum decision issued Monday sounded alarms among supporters of migrants and domestic violence victims.

Even before the formal announcement, the Virginia-based Tahirih Justice Center warned of the possible effect on women fleeing persecution.

“Our clients and many women like them may lose their cases because of this, which could send them home to face violence or death,” the group said. “For them, and for our own conscience, we are prepared to fight.”

Sessions teased the imminent announcement Monday morning at a training conference for federal immigration judges.

“Asylum was never meant to alleviate all problems, even all serious problems, that people face every day all over the world,” Sessions said at the event.

The attorney general defended the decision to tighten asylum standards.

"Clarity in law is the right thing,” he said. “The world will know what our rules are."

The original story can be found here.