A full recording of this press briefing is available in English and Spanish; press kit is available here.
Today advocates held a press briefing to discuss the Justice Department’s recent precedential decision in the asylum case of a Salvadoran woman, known as Matter of K-E-S-G-. In K-E-S-G-, the Trump administration attempts to turn back the clock on refugee women’s rights and restrict access to asylum for people fleeing gender-based persecution across the globe. Speakers today discussed the immediate consequences of the ruling for people seeking safety, what this ploy by the Justice Department means for women’s rights and due process, and how advocates and communities are fighting back.
“This ruling sends a strong signal to immigration judges that women’s asylum claims should not be taken seriously,” said Neela Chakravartula, Associate Director of Litigation at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) and co-counsel in Matter of K-E-S-G-. “This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has singled out women seeking asylum, and we know where this path leads. More judges denying protection to women who qualify for it. More refugees being deported to danger. Even more chaos and confusion injected into our immigration system. But we have been here before, and we are not backing down now. Our organizations and communities are ready to fight back and defend the rights of women and girls who turn to the United States for safety.”
“I have felt very glad that my case has been able to help other women escaping similar situations of violence,” said Anabel, an asylee whose case, Matter of A-B-, was used by the first Trump administration to restrict asylum for women and girls. “But now I am hearing that this government is trying to do the same thing to another woman, putting her life in danger, and using her case to close the door to other women. When they tell people they have to return to the country they have fled, where there is so much violence, many are sent back to die. What I desire most is for all women who are fleeing abuse in their country to have their asylum cases heard and to be safe here. The situation right now is dire. The struggle continues. But they have to keep fighting.”
“At the Tahirih Justice Center, we represent women and girls who have made the heart-wrenching decision to flee their countries after being targeted for domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other forms of gender-based persecution," said Kursten Phelps, Litigation Counsel at the Tahirih Justice Center and co-counsel in Matter of K-E-S-G-. “This decision does not mean they are suddenly ineligible for asylum. But, harmful rhetoric and decisions like this one are designed to deter them—and us—from even trying. We must not do their work for them. These cases are still winnable, and we owe it to survivors to keep fighting and affirm that their stories do count.”
“When I learned about the decision in K-E-S-G-, I thought of our clients,” said Laila Ayub, Co-Founder and Director of Project ANAR. “With every new announcement from this administration, they reach out to us asking if they will face deportation. It is shameful that at a time when other countries are expanding protections for displaced peoples fleeing gender-based violence and persecution, this administration is weaponizing the immigration court system to further restrict them. The Afghan women and girls we work with have fled conditions that exist in part because of U.S. foreign policy, compounded now by the revocation of critical humanitarian aid and remote education programs. We refuse to sit back and watch this administration push our community members back into the shadows again through its racist immigration agenda.”