Discretionary (in) justice: the exercise of discretion in claims for asylum

Resumen

Section 208(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act provides that asylum may be granted to an applicant who meets the definition of a refugeethat is, someone who has been persecuted or has a well-founded fear of future persecution in her own country on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Asylum is a discretionary form of relief, which means that the United States government is not required to grant asylum to every refugee within the United States but instead may decide whether or not to do so.