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Defending asylum seekers in court is at the heart of what we do. The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies is committed to protecting as many refugees as possible under existing law even as we work for a more just legal system. We litigate in two key areas: advancing substantive asylum law to keep legal avenues open for refugees and protecting the asylum system itself to make sure that people have access to a fair legal process. This litigation docket provides an update on some of the major cases that CGRS is fighting in court.
Al Otro Lado v. Mayorkas
CGRS and our partners are challenging the government's illegal turnback (or "metering") policy.
AsylumWorks v. Wolf
We won a major victory defeating Trump administration rules that drastically limited asylum seekers' access to work permits.
Damus v. Wolf
CGRS joined the ACLU and Human Rights First in a class action lawsuit challenging ICE's unlawful detention of people seeking asylum.
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Barr
CGRS provided amicus support in a successful challenge to the Trump administration's third country transit ban.
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Biden
CGRS, the ACLU, and the National Immigrant Justice Center have brought a legal challenge to the Biden administration's asylum ban.
Grace v. Barr
CGRS and the ACLU won an injunction blocking the government from rejecting survivors of gender- and gang-related violence in initial asylum screenings at the border.
Immigrant Defenders Law Center v. Mayorkas
CGRS is co-counsel in a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of people harmed under the original implementation of Trump's Remain in Mexico policy.
Innovation Law Lab v. Mayorkas
CGRS, the ACLU, and the Southern Poverty Law Center secured multiple court rulings finding the Trump administration's Remain in Mexico policy unlawful.
Matter of A-B-
We successfully advocated for Attorney General Garland to vacate the Trump-era ruling in Matter of A-B-, which slammed the door on refugee survivors of domestic violence.
Matter of L-E-A-
CGRS provided amicus support and helped secure a reversal of the Trump-era ruling in Matter of L-E-A-, which undermined access to protection for people fleeing persecution related to their family ties.
Pangea Legal Services v. DHS
CGRS and the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program won an injunction blocking a Trump-era rule that would have created nearly insurmountable barriers to asylum.
Title 42 Challenges
CGRS brought multiple court challenges to the illegal Title 42 policy, which allowed the government to expel people seeking safety to danger.
