Defending asylum seekers in court is at the heart of what we do. The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies is committed to protecting as many refugees as possible under existing law even as we work for a more just legal system. We litigate in two key areas: advancing substantive asylum law to keep legal avenues open for refugees and protecting the asylum system itself to make sure that people have access to a fair legal process. This litigation docket provides an update on some of the major cases that CGRS is fighting in court.
CGRS and co-counsel brought a lawsuit challenging the first and second Trump administration's “Asylum Cooperative Agreements.” We requested leave to file our second amended complaint in December 2025 as the administration continues to aggressively expand use of ACA-based motions to pretermit throughout the country.