Asylum Archives

People wait at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry bridge to turn themselves in to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for asylum consideration on January 13th, 2019, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

News in Brief

Emails Reveal How the Trump Administration Backed Down on Asylum Restrictions

After a judge blocked the administration's attempt to categorically deny asylum to those fleeing domestic violence and gang violence, administration officials acquiesced and sent out new guidance to asylum officers and immigration judges.

Jack Herrera

Social Justice

After 247 Days, Vilma Carrillo, an Immigrant Woman Separated From Her Daughter, Has Been Released From ICE Custody

Immigrant rights groups rejoiced as authorities reunited a Guatemalan woman and her daughter Friday.

Massoud Hayoun

Viewfinder: Supporters of Immigrants Hold a Toy Drive Outside an ICE Facility

Envy Silva, whose family is originally from Guatemala, holds a holiday toy she received from immigration activists across the street from the Miramar Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility in South Florida.

Pacific Standard Staff

A migrant mother walks with her two daughters on their way to cross the port of entry into the U.S. for their asylum hearing on June 21st, 2018, in Tijuana, Mexico.

A Judge Strikes Down Trump’s Asylum Ban on Victims of Domestic Violence and Gang Brutality

In his ruling, Judge Emmet Sullivan argued that the government ought to consider asylum requests on a case-by-case basis.

Jack Herrera

Central American migrants (mostly Hondurans) run along the Tijuana River near the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, near the U.S.–Mexico border, after the U.S. border patrol threw tear gas to disperse them after an alleged verbal dispute, on November 25th, 2018.

News in Brief

Tear Gas on the Border Is Only the Beginning of a Standoff That Could Last Months

Legal experts and migrants' rights advocates warn that the crisis will persist as migrants continue to arrive in Tijuana and other border towns.

Jack Herrera

Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States walk to the U.S.-Mexico border at El Chaparral port of entry on November 12th, 2017, in Tijuana, northwestern Mexico.

A Judge Blocks Trump’s Asylum Ban on Migrants Caught Crossing the Border

A federal judge in San Francisco has issued an injunction against the Trump administration, temporarily suspending the administration's policy of denying asylum to migrants caught crossing the southern border illegally.

Jack Herrera

News in Brief

In Asylum Claims, Is Domestic Abuse ‘Private Violence’ or a Societal Issue?

Advocates argue that asylum seekers aren't just fleeing domestic abuse—they're fleeing gender-based violence.

Jack Herrera

Asylum seekers turn themselves in to a U.S. Border Patrol agent after crossing from Mexico into the United States on November 7th, 2018, in Mission, Texas.

Civil Rights Groups Immediately Sue as Trump Tries to Block Asylum Seekers

Multiple civil rights groups sued the administration on Friday, arguing that a new executive policy violates both United States and international law.

Jack Herrera

Salvadorean migrants heading in a caravan to the U.S., cross the Suchiate River to Mexico.

Social Justice

Migrants From Central America Face a Long Road to Asylum

As the caravan of migrants heads north, one case demonstrates how difficult attaining asylum can be for people who face violence and even certain death if they return home.

Maya Srikrishnan

Asylum seekers gather at El Chaparral port of entry in Tijuana, Mexico, on August 10th, 2018, as they look for an appointment to present their asylum request before the United States authorities.

What Asylum Means for the U.S. and the Central American Migrants Who Want It

Anyone who enters the U.S. has a right to claim asylum, but the process isn't easy.

Emma Sarappo