FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2018
Contact:
Lauren Gray, NCLR Communications Director
lgray@nclrights.org / (215) 983-3099
NCLR Statement in Response to Attorney General Sessions’ Decision to Exclude Domestic Violence and Gang Violence as Grounds for Asylum
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions imposed stringent new limitations on asylum claims brought by those fleeing domestic or gang violence. This decision will imperil the lives of thousands of women and LGBTQ people who have suffered extreme violence in their home countries.
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Legal Director Shannon Minter issued the following statement in response:
“Today’s decision by Attorney General Sessions is an unprincipled setback that overturns years of precedent recognizing that those persecuted by domestic and gang violence are eligible to seek asylum. For these individuals, the ability to seek asylum in the United States is often a matter of life and death. Attorney General Sessions made a unilateral decision that the United States will turn its back on countless individuals who face extreme violence at the hands of an abuser or who have been terrorized by gang members. This decision will fall hardest on women and LGBTQ people, who are disproportionately likely to experience these forms of abuse.”
###
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. www.NCLRights.org