Domestic violence and gang threats will no longer be a reason to seek asylum in the US

Attorney General Jeff Sessions introduced additional restrictions on the reception of refugees in the United States, saying that the fear of domestic violence or gangs is not an acceptable ground for asylum, writes NBC News.

Фото: Depositphotos

“The Asylum Clause is not a cure-all provision,” Sessions wrote in a formal legal opinion, using his power to overturn decisions of federal immigration judges.

“The mere fact that a country cannot effectively address certain crimes, such as domestic violence or gang violence, which render certain groups of the population victims of these crimes, is not a sufficient reason to claim asylum,” the Prosecutor General said in a statement.

He cited the example of a woman from El Salvador who illegally entered the United States in 2014 and sought asylum, stating that her husband had repeatedly applied violence to her: "emotional, physical and sexual." Sessions applied their authority to reject her application.

Under US and international law, an individual may seek asylum based on his past persecution or on the basis of justified fears of future persecution if these persecutions are conducted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group. In 2014, the immigration court recognized as such a group “married women in Guatemala who are forced into relationships”.

The session overturned this decision, stating that it did not comply with the requirements of federal law, and that the social group should have clearly defined characteristics that are socially distinguishable, and in the case of Guatemalan women, their membership in this group was based solely on their statements. distinguishable.

“I am not minimizing the vile abuse she claims she suffered from her ex-husband, or the harrowing experiences of many other victims of domestic violence around the world. I understand that many victims of domestic violence may seek to flee their home countries to escape a difficult situation or to seek a better life for themselves. But asylum law is not a cure-all,” Sessions said.

Immigration lawyers have condemned this decision.

Beth Verlin of the American Immigration Board said that it "will lead to the fact that countless mothers and children will return to their offenders and criminal gangs."

However, Sessions insists that the political asylum system "should never have mitigated all the turmoil, and even the serious problems that people face every day all over the world."

According to him, the number of applications for asylum in the US jumped to 94 000 in 2016 year compared to 5000 in 2009 year, but only about one-fifth of the claims in the last five years were found to be valid.

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