Federal judge blocks Trump rule that would turn away LGBTQ asylum seekers
Judge's order will prevent DHS from imposing higher burden of proof on refugees while courts hear challenge to rule
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Central American asylum seekers featured in “The Right Girls” – Photo: Wolfer Productions.
A federal judge in California has blocked a recent Trump administration rule that immigration and LGBTQ advocates have dubbed the “Death to Asylum” rule that would have effectively made it impossible for LGBTQ individuals and people living with HIV to seek asylum.
The rule, introduced last month, would rewrite asylum law — without authorization from Congress — and redefined who qualifies as a “refugee” by requiring people seeking asylum to meet more stringent criteria before they can claim “credible and reasonable fear” of persecution or death if they return to their countries of origin.