CGRS Develops New Resources for Fear-of-Gang Cases

August 22, 2017 - CGRS is excited to announce the release of our newest practice advisory, Asylum Based on Fear of Gangs and Other Organized Criminal Groups: Central America and Beyond. The majority of attorneys who turn to CGRS for support represent clients from Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras), where crisis levels of gang and cartel violence persist. Unfortunately, fear-of-gang cases have proven particularly difficult to win, and many individuals presenting gang-related claims are erroneously denied protection. There is consensus among advocates that focusing on resources in this area of the law could greatly improve their clients’ chances of prevailing. Our new practice advisory provides a comprehensive guide to asylum claims based on persecution by gangs, including children’s claims. It includes information on conditions in the countries currently producing the majority of gang claims, an overview of relevant gang-based asylum decisions from the U.S. courts of appeals, and strategies for attorneys representing persons fleeing gang violence.

CGRS is also currently developing a repository of sample case materials from fear-of-gang asylum cases to assist attorneys representing asylum seekers with similar claims. The resources that we are collecting for this project, from top litigators around the country, will be made available to all advocates through CGRS’s technical assistance program. This will help not only to ensure positive outcomes for individuals but also to produce stronger records to positively advance the law more broadly for the benefit of many.

If you are an attorney, legal professional, or law student representative and would like to request copies of our fear-of-gang resources to aid you in your asylum case, simply submit a CGRS technical assistance request. If you have already submitted a request in your case and would like additional, updated materials, please email us with your CGRS case number at CGRS-TA@uchastings.edu.

Be sure to also check out CGRS Staff Attorney Sayoni Maitra’s recent interview on the Immigration Advocates Network’s podcast, focused on legal strategies for fear-of-gang cases involving child applicants.

Photo from Jessica Orellana, Reuters.