By Rebecca Morim ~ Politico ~ August 7, 2018
The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to remove asylum protections for victims of domestic and gang violence.
The ACLU is arguing against “expedited removal” policies, put forth by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, that it says “generally” deny claims of violence of that nature.
“This is a naked attempt by the Trump administration to eviscerate our country’s asylum protections,” Jennifer Chang Newell, managing attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a statement. “It’s clear the administration’s goal is to deny and deport as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.”
The lawsuit, Grace v. Sessions, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in conjunction with the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
In June, the attorney general overturned asylum protections for certain victims of violence, effectively reversing a push by the Obama administration to provide refuge to women with credible claims of domestic violence.
Sessions, a former U.S. senator from Alabama, questioned in his decision whether victims of private criminal activity qualified as members of a “particular social group” eligible for asylum in the U.S.
Asylum seekers must currently prove they have credible fear — based on grounds of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion — in their home country.
The Justice Department defended the policy change on Tuesday evening.
“Our nation’s immigration laws provide for asylum to be granted to individuals who have been persecuted, or who have a well-founded fear of persecution, on account of their membership in a ‘particular social group,‘ but most victims of personal crimes do not fit this definition — no matter how vile and reprehensible the crime perpetrated against them,” a department spokesman said. “The Department of Justice remains committed to reducing violence against women and enforcing laws against domestic violence, both in the United States and around the world.”
The asylum change came several months after the Trump administration implemented a “zero tolerance” immigration policy that led to hundreds of undocumented migrant children and parents being separated at the southern border. The president later signed an executive order to end the practice after withering criticism from both sides of the aisle.
Source: Rebecca Morim ~ Politico ~ August 7, 2018
