CGRS remains steadfast in our commitment to defend the United States’ promise of protection for those escaping persecution. We've been here before, and we're not backing down.
The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies defends the human rights of courageous refugees seeking asylum in the United States. With strategic focus and unparalleled legal expertise, CGRS champions the most challenging cases, fights for due process, and promotes policies that deliver safety and justice for refugees.
CGRS undertakes strategic litigation to advance sound asylum laws and protect due process rights. Our current docket includes federal lawsuits challenging anti-asylum border policies and high-impact appellate cases that present opportunities to restore paths to protection.
CGRS provides free expert consultation, litigation resources, and training to attorneys and advocates working with asylum seekers.
We advocate for the fair and dignified treatment of asylum seekers and promote policies that honor our country’s legal obligations to refugees.
CGRS and partners submitted recommendations on strengthening adherence to the Refugee Convention, to inform UNHCR’s Dialogue on Protection in Geneva in December.
CGRS and partners authored a report on conditions for Haitian asylum seekers in Tapachula, Mexico.
CGRS submitted a public comment opposing the Department of Homeland Security's rule that allows it to mandate the electronic filing of immigration benefit requests, including asylum applications.
CGRS submission for UNHCR’s updated Handbook on the criteria for refugee status, analyzing U.S. divergences from international standards including particular social group, nexus, bars, as well as emerging forms of climate-related displacement.
This article examines how the IACtHR’s 2025 Advisory Opinion on the Climate Emergency and Human Rights gives legal force to a decade of regional efforts to address climate- and disaster- related displacement.
This factsheet examines the legal deficiencies of the Asylum Cooperative Agreements entered by the Trump administration, highlighting due process violations, inadequate protections in receiving countries, and the need for congressional oversight.
CGRS is at the forefront of the movement to ensure protections for women and girls seeking safety, advocating for policies that recognize gender-based persecution as a basis for asylum.
CGRS is pursuing advocacy and litigation to confront the climate crisis. Our goal is to expand legal avenues to protection for climate or disaster-displaced people seeking refuge in the United States.
In 1951, the world made a promise that people fleeing persecution would have the right to seek safety. That promise matters now more than ever, even as it comes under attack. CGRS is fighting to keep it.
Your support for CGRS goes to work every day, protecting the human rights of women, children, and LGBTQ+ people seeking refuge in the United States.
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