Political asylum in the US

Since the US is a first world country and a world power, it has the possibility, conditions and resources to offer international protection to the most vulnerable immigrant communities through humanitarian programs.

One of these programs is political asylum. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), foreigners can apply for political asylum if they have been victims of persecution or violence, either because of their religion, race, political party, sexual orientation, gender identity, inter alia.

Do you need help with an immigration case? Contact Motion Law and follow the advice of experts.

The political asylum system during the health crisis

The sudden arrival of the global Coronavirus pandemic in the North American territory forced the Trump administration to implement multiple emergency measures and many of them directly affect the immigration sector. In fact, dozens of activists claim that the current administration of the US is using the health crisis as a pretext to restrict immigration, which has been a primary purpose since President Trump took office in 2017.

For instance, like many countries around the world, the US closed its borders for a considerable period of time and banned the entry of immigrants, including asylum seekers or refugee applicants, who need international protection while trying to flee the danger of their countries.

Adding to that, the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Mexican government in 2019 called the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), which states that asylum seekers can no longer reside in the US while they await responses to their immigration applications, but must wait in Mexico. This policy is also known as “Remain in Mexico”.

LGBT communities unable to enter the US due to current asylum policies

One of the most vulnerable communities in Latin America is the LGBT community. They constantly face threat, violence and persecution in their countries due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Normally, many of them decide to start their immigration journey in the US to save their lives and arrive at the borders yearning to apply for political asylum, an opportunity that has been substantially reduced in recent months due to policies of the Trump government.

On October 7, 2020, the non-profit and non-partisan organization Human Rights Watch published a report called “Every Day I Live In Fear”, which tells the story of LGBT people coming from the Northern Triangle of Central America (El Salvador , Guatemala, and Honduras), who are trying to flee persecution and have not been able to request political asylum in the US due to current restrictions.

The report reveals 116 cases in which LGBT people have been victims of violence and abuse (both physical and psychological) in these countries. Human Rights Watch asks the US government and different federal entities to reevaluate current asylum policies and create a section that applies only to people from LGBT communities from countries with high rates of violence and abuse.

If you need to keep up with the latest immigration news, our Blog section is what you are looking for.

Motion Law can guide you to the success of your application

Aside from political asylum, the local immigration system offers multiple options that could possibly suit your immigration case and it is imperative for you to choose the right one to avoid rejection of your application.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.