Women seeking political asylum in the United States based on gender-related persecution can get mired in a legal labyrinth that can leave their cases unresolved for years.

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.

This powerful article highlights the plight of several Tahirih clients who have suffered female genital mutilation and whose lives continue to be affected by the violence they have suffered.

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.

Tahirih Houston Executive Director Anne Chandler writes about her experience in Tijuana, volunteering to assist Central American migrants as they passed through to seek asylum in the U.S.