People around the world seek asylum for many reasons. They may leave their homes to escape persecution for their race, religion, political beliefs or membership in a particular social group. They also flee war, extreme poverty, gang violence, natural disasters and other serious circumstances that cause them to leave their country.
In order to win asylum, a person must show that they are persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution for one of the five protected grounds of asylum: race, religion, political opinion, sexual orientation and membership in a particular social group. Most people seeking asylum do not have attorneys to assist them with their claims, although many nonprofit and faith-based organizations provide free legal services to displaced individuals.
Approximately 8.4 million people around the world are waiting for a decision on their asylum claims, as of 2024. Increasingly, the government’s policies make it harder to get asylum. For example, the “zero tolerance policy” combines criminal enforcement of immigration laws with a provision of the immigration statute that makes anyone who enters the United States without inspection ineligible for asylum.
Those who are able to reach the United States and receive asylum are granted lawful permanent resident status (LPR, or green cards). They cannot be deported to their countries of origin and can eventually apply for citizenship in the U.S. If they are unable to gain asylum, or their asylum status is later revoked, they can still qualify for more limited forms of protection, including withholding of removal and deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture.