Asylum Law Offers Little Refuge for Those Who Flee Gangs

New York Times: “I’ve done about a hundred cases of Salvadoran males who refused to join gangs,” said Roy Petty, an immigration lawyer in Missouri who represented Mr. Zaldívar. “I have to tell them you are probably going to lose. The immigration system did not believe these people were really in danger.” In general, legal standards for asylum in the United States are not easy to meet. Asylum seekers must show they have a “well-founded fear of persecution” because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or “membership in a particular social group.” Congress keeps a tight lid on the number of refugees admitted, with the limit currently set at 80,000 a year. As the immigration debate becomes increasingly polarized, there is little interest among politicians or the public in raising that limit.