Explainer: Cruz Galicia v. Garland on climate-related asylum
Commentary
July 18, 2024
This explainer analyzes the First Circuit decision in Cruz Galicia v. Garland, denying a climate-related asylum claim.
Policy Analysis and Recommendations
The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) is a leading voice in the movement to rebuild the U.S. asylum system and expand access to protection for women, children, LGBTQ+ people, and others seeking refuge. Our Policy & Advocacy team serves as a critical resource on asylum to policymakers, journalists, and the public. We provide rapid analysis of policy developments and offer practical recommendations for decision-makers at all levels of government, advising our leaders on how to ensure the United States lives up to its legal and moral commitments to people fleeing persecution.
Recommendations to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for the Cartagena +40 Process: The Need to Address Climate-Related Displacement
Human Rights Body Submission
July 15, 2024
CGRS and our partners provided policy recommendations to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as part of the Cartagena +40 process, focusing on the response to displacement caused or exacerbated by climate change and disasters.
CGRS Comment in Response to DHS and DOJ Request for Comments: Securing the Border, 89 FR 48710 and Presidential Proclamation, 89 FR 48487
Executive Branch Comment
July 3, 2024
We submitted our analysis of the government's interim final rule that essentially closes off asylum during "emergency border circumstances." Our comment urges the government to withdraw the rule in its entirety.
Submission to the UN Human Rights Commissioner on Racism Against Haitians and Other Black Migrants
Human Rights Body Submission
June 21, 2024
CGRS submitted input to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on xenophobia and racism Haitian and other Black asylum seekers face across several countries. The input contributes to the follow-up on implementing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
Submission to the Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment
Human Rights Body Submission
June 14, 2024
CGRS submitted input to the Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to a Healthy Environment on the access to information, participation and access to justice for Indigenous peoples and women in Honduras.
Submission to The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on the Public Consultation Questionnaire on Freedom of Expression and Unprotected Speech
Human Rights Body Submission
June 14, 2024
CGRS submitted input to the IACHR Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression in response for a call for input on Freedom of Expression and Unprotected Speech. This submission focuses on the best practices to prevent stigmatizing and hate speech against migrants.
CGRS Comment in Response to DHS Request for Comments: Application of Certain Mandatory Bars in Fear Screenings, 89 Fed. Reg. 41347
Executive Branch Comment
June 12, 2024
We submitted our analysis of the government's proposed rule permitting asylum officers to consider the applicability of statutory bars during initial fear screenings. Our comment urges the government to withdraw the rule in its entirety.
Recommendations on the Inclusion of Civil Society in the Implementation of the LA Declaration
Policy Memo
June 1, 2024
We joined 158 other civil society organizations from across the Americas to endorse a comprehensive set of recommendations for the signatories of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, urging them to include civil society in its implementation.
Aligning United States Law with International Norms Would Remove Major Barriers to Protection in Gender Claims
Commentary
June 1, 2024
This article examines how the evolution of the US interpretation of particular social group and nexus has diverged from UNHCR recommendations, resulting in the denial of protection in gender cases involving egregious harms.
Submission to the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change: Access to Information on Climate Change and Human Rights
Human Rights Body Submission
May 29, 2024
CGRS made a submission to the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change focused on the right to access information and human rights implications for people displaced across borders by the effects of climate change.