At the age of 17, Fauziya Kassindja fled Togo and sought asylum in the United States to avoid a forced marriage and female genital mutilation. Instead of finding protection, she spent more than 17 months in detention. Then-law student Layli Miller-Muro helped bring her case to the highest immigration court in the nation, and Fauziya was granted asylum in 1996 by the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals. The decision set national precedent and established gender-based persecution as grounds for asylum.
Tahirih’s Founder Involved in Landmark Asylum Victory
Latest News
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SCOTUS Rules on Biden v. Texas
Today, in a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court agreed that the Biden administration can terminate the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy. Under this cruel policy, which Tahirih is challenging in a separate lawsuit, the United States has placed tens of thousands of vulnerable people fleeing violence, including many survivors of gender-based violence, into dangerous situations in northern Mexico. ‘Remain in Mexico’ is part of xenophobic policies that have all but eliminated the human right to seek asylum.
June 30, 2022 -
Statement from Archi Pyati, Tahirih Justice Center CEO on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Ruling
Today, in a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturns the Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, paving the way for abortion to be criminalized in 22 states and severely limiting access to it in many more.
June 24, 2022
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Survivor Voices