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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.
Aligning United States Law with International Norms Would Remove Major Barriers to Protection in Gender Claims
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.
Recommendations on the Inclusion of Civil Society in the Implementation of the LA Declaration
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.
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
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.
Request to Provide a Minimum of 60 days for Public Comment in Response to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM): Application of Certain Mandatory Bars in Fear Screenings
CGRS and 77 other organizations called on DHS to extend the comment period to a minimum of at least 60 days after DHS proposed a new rule governing fear screenings by asylum officers with an atypical, abbreviated 30-day comment period.
Submission to the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism: Visit of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to Brazil
CGRS made a submission to the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism in response to the United Nations Special Rapporteur's call for input: Visit of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to Brazil.
Immigration Advocacy and National Faith, Progressive, Human and Civil Rights Organizations Oppose Further Senate Movement on Anti-Immigrant Legislation
This joint statement expresses opposition to reported plans by Leader Schumer and Senate leadership to bring the failed Lankford-Murphy immigration bill, any of its components or paired with other bills, to the floor for a vote.
The Asylum Ban: One Year On
One year into the implementation of the Biden administration's asylum ban, this factsheet describes how the ban has been applied in asylum cases and the status of ongoing legal challenges.
Precluding Protection: Findings from Interviews with Haitian Asylum Seekers in Central and Southern Mexico
Drawn from over 100 interviews with asylum seekers and local service providers in Tapachula and Mexico City, this report discusses myriad barriers to protection and inhumane conditions facing Haitian asylum seekers in Mexico.
U.S. Should Restore Funding to UNRWA
We joined an open letter calling for Congress to pass legislation and for President Biden to support reinstating funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the principal aid provider for Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the surrounding region.
CGRS Advocates for the Protection of Climate Displaced Individuals in Inter-American Court Hearings
CGRS's Policy & Advocacy Manager, Felipe Navarro, intervened in the public hearings for the advisory opinion on the "Climate Emergency and Human Rights" of the Inter-American Council of Human Rights to address State obligations to respond to climate-related cross-border displacement.
