Biden admin scraps Trump-era rules regarding asylum claims for violence victims

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday directed immigration judges to cease following rules which made it difficult for people to secure asylum on account of domestic or gang violence.

The Associated Press reported that Garland also reversed a policy that made it hard for people to gain asylum on account of threats to a relative.

The outlet noted that Garland restored a 2014 case that deemed wives in Guatemala who cannot depart their relationship as a category worthy of asylum, which eased the path for others subjected to domestic violence. Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2018 overturned this guidance and indicated that gang violence victims should mostly be unqualified.

In a case pertaining to a Mexican individual who alleged that his dad was targeted by a drug cartel, Garland reversed former Attorney General William Barr's decision that such familial connections are inadequate grounds for claiming asylum.