Out of Options: The Obstructions Hindering Victims of Non-State Actor Violence Under Current Asylum Law

Authors

Kenneth D. Law Jr.

Abstract

Each year tens of thousands of immigrants head to the United States’ shores in the hope of achieving their version of the “American Dream.” This dream is now more elusive than it has ever been due to the Trump Administration’s attempts to limit legal migration by, to an extent, removing certain avenues of entry. Specifically, the Trump Administration severely hindered the ability of victims of domestic and gang violence to apply for one of the few forms of relief afforded to them: asylum. This note analyzes how decisions such as former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ opinion in Matter of A-B- have drastically affected the landscape of asylum law in the United States, and ultimately argues that the best way to combat these restrictions, and ensure that those fleeing certain violence and potential death from non-state actors are afforded enough protection, is to have Congress amend the Immigration and Nationality Act’s definition of a refugee.

Recommended Citation

Kenneth D. Law Jr., Out of Options: The Obstructions Hindering Victims of Non-State Actor Violence Under Current Asylum Law, 85 Brook. L. Rev. (2020).
Available at: https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/blr/vol85/iss2/6