Source: NPR

On Monday, Attorney General William Barr ruled that Asylum-seekers who fear persecution due to threats against their family members will no longer be eligible for asylum. Barr argued that Congress could not have intended the asylum laws to include persecution of an asylum-seeker’s family members. Although the Attorney General has the authority to overrule decisions from the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), this move is just another step in efforts to restrict asylum claims in the United States.