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 provided amicus support and helped secure a reversal of the Trump-era ruling in Matter of L-E-A-, which undermined access to protection for people fleeing persecution related to their family ties.
CGRS and the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program won an injunction blocking a Trump-era rule that would have created nearly insurmountable barriers to asylum.