Over the course of four days in September 2008, then-US Attorney General Michael Mukasey opened the door for the Board of Immigration Appeals to fundamentally alter a woman’s ability to claim asylum in the United States based on gender-based persecution.

I-VAWA offers women like Naeema—who survived a vicious acid attack at the hands of her husbandÔhope.

The Government Accountability Office released a report in August 2008 citing widespread gaps in federal agencies’ implementation and enforcement of IMBRA.

Jeanne Smoot, Director of Public Policy, received the 2008 Agent of Change Award from the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.

The BIA’s decision in the Matter of A-T reveals a poor understanding of FGM and its consequences, as well as a flawed interpretation of refugee law, and poses a direct threat to the ability of Tahirih’s clients and others who have suffered FGM to receive protection in the United States.

Federal protections are intended to encourage non-citizen survivors of violent crimes to come forward and get help, but a push for local police to enforce immigration law could unravel the intent of the protections, which have been painstakingly elaborated over 15 years.

The U visa was created to aid law enforcement and protect victims of serious crimes under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000.