U.S. reverses Trump-era restrictions on asylum cases based on domestic and gang violence

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday reversed legal opinions issued under the Trump administration that severely restricted asylum claims based on domestic and gang violence, as well as persecution stemming from family ties.

In vacating the decisions issued by his predecessors, Jeff Sessions and William Barr, Garland cited an executive order by President Biden that instructed officials to determine whether current asylum policies provide refuge to victims of gang and domestic violence "in a manner consistent with international standards." The recission of the restrictions could pave the way for a broad shift in U.S. asylum policy, since many of the protection claims made by Central American migrants along the southern border cite domestic and gang violence, which are prevalent in some parts of the region.