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.
This factsheet documents why the U.S.-Ecuador Asylum Cooperative Agreement fails to meet U.S. legal standards, detailing Ecuador's inadequate asylum system, pervasive violence, and barriers to integration.
This document lists all of the recorded webinars presented by CGRS staff attorneys since February 2025 that are accessible to all registered CGRS TA users at any time through our online TA library.
This factsheet examines the legal deficiencies of the Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) entered by the Trump administration, highlighting due process violations, inadequate protections in receiving countries, and the need for congressional oversight.
CGRS submitted input to the Working Group on Peasants for its upcoming report on the right to seeds. This input highlights Honduran legislative efforts to privatize seeds. These measures would threaten traditional practices, food sovereignty, and rural livelihoods.
This statement for the record urges Congress to reject Trump Administration's use of the tragic National Guard shooting as a pretext to curtail access to asylum. Promising innovations implemented to efficiently adjudicate Afghans' asylum applications should be expanded.
This document provides a detailed review of how Matter of K-E-S-G-, Matter of A-B- I, and Matter of A-B- II interact with prior BIA precedent and Ninth Circuit law, highlighting points of conflict between these three decisions and existing law.
CGRS submitted a public comment opposing the Department of Homeland Security's rule to end the automatic extension of work permit validity for noncitizens applying to renew their work permits.
Submission to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights on how weak legal protections, mega-industrial projects and lack of meaningful consultation in Honduras worsen food insecurity, degrade ecosystems and heighten violence against Indigenous and rural communities.
As climate change and disasters play an increasing role in claims for international protection, advocates and adjudicators should take three key lessons from the decades-long effort to ensure that refugee law evolves to encompass gender-related claims.
CGRS submitted an input to the Secretary-General to inform their upcoming report on the human rights of migrants. The input highlights U.S. practices that externalize the border and restrict access to protection, including through third country removal agreements.