In response Attorney General Merrick Garland’s reversal of a Trump administration decision that denied asylum to survivors of domestic and gang violence, Oxfam America’s Global Policy Lead Noah Gottschalk said:
“We join survivors of domestic violence in breathing a sigh of relief today that Attorney General Garland has finally vacated the cruel Trump administration decisions that denied countless people asylum on the false and misogynistic pretext that the abuse they endured was a ‘private’ matter.
“For too long, women and girls who have been subjected to horrific physical, sexual, and emotional violence have had their claims arbitrarily denied, forcing them right back into the hands of their abusers. Today’s reversal means they once again have a chance to find safety and protection in the US without fear of being sent back into the hands of their abusers.
“The Trump administration’s ruthless decision in Matter of A-B- that domestic or gang violence did not constitute grounds for asylum in the US blatantly ignored a reality that survivors know all too well: such violence is real, and it is deadly, whether it is perpetrated by the state or by gangs.
“Every day, Oxfam works with people who have been subjected to gender-based violence, including in Ms. A-B-’s native El Salvador. We were proud to join more than 350 organizations and legal practitioners last month calling on the Biden administration to immediately vacate this decision.
“But outdated and confusing asylum regulations are still being misused by courts to prevent people with legitimate fears of persecution purely based on their gender from receiving protection, and the administration is continuing to expel people under the false pretext of public health via Title 42.
“Asylum is meant to provide protection for people facing brutal persecution and threats against their lives. Today’s action is a major step in the right direction, but the Biden administration must do everything in its power to ensure that people fleeing horrific violence and persecution - for no reason other than their gender - have their right to asylum protected by US courts.”