It is abundantly clear that authorizing asylum officers to consider certain mandatory bars during the CF/RF stage will have a significant impact on the ability of survivors fleeing gender-based persecution to obtain asylum. To propose this change under the guise of purported “operational flexibility” so that the government can remove asylum seekers swiftly without regard to the meritoriousness of their claims for asylum is unconscionable.

Tahirih’s policy work is rooted in our core values and in our specific theory of change. We work to advance policies and laws that enable immigrant survivors of gender-based violence to pursue […]