Sessions issues Matter of A-B-, restricting domestic-violence asylum claims

Attorney General Jeff Sessions certified Matter of A-B- to himself and issued a sweeping decision on June 11, 2018 that overruled Matter of A-R-C-G- and held that domestic violence and gang violence victims generally do not qualify for asylum as members of a particular social group. Sessions used the AG self-certification power — an unchecked authority allowing the AG to personally overrule the Board of Immigration Appeals — to reshape asylum law without congressional action. The decision instructed immigration judges nationwide to apply the new standard immediately.