Asylum / Withholding / CAT

List of general direct examination questions that may be pertinent to ask a psychological or psychiatric evaluator providing expert testimony in support of an asylum case in immigration court.

List of general direct examination questions that may be pertinent to ask the respondent in an asylum case in immigration court.

Redacted sample direct examination of a country conditions expert witness in immigration court. The sample is based on a case in which the respondent, from Jamaica, sought asylum based on his sexual orientation.

Redacted sample direct examination of a country conditions expert witness in immigration court. The sample is based on a case in which the respondent, from Guatemala, sought asylum based on her K’iche’ Mayan ethnicity; political opinions in support of feminism and indigenous rights; and membership in the particular social groups of “Guatemalan K’iche’ Mayan women” […]

Redacted sample direct examination of an asylum-seeking respondent in immigration court. The sample is based on a case in which the respondent, from Guatemala, sought asylum based on her K’iche’ Mayan ethnicity; political opinions in support of feminism and indigenous rights; and membership in the particular social groups of “Guatemalan K’iche’ Mayan women” and “witnesses […]

Annotated sample direct examination chart for a fictional asylum-seeking respondent, prepared by the Immigration Justice Campaign.

Model immigration court filings prepared by Human Rights First attorney Andrew Feinberg in January 2025. These model filings reflect some of the most common documents and motions an attorney will file in support of a client’s asylum case in immigration court. The materials are intended to be reviewed simultaneously, as part of a single fictional […]

Human Rights First practice advisory describing possible bases for pretermission in immigration court and explaining how to prepare for, and respond to, motions to pretermit a client’s asylum claim. Last updated on January 23, 2026.

Documents uploaded by the National Immigration Project (last updated on March 13, 2025) that include charts containing links to frequently used Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) asylum regulations and analogous 208 series Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations that are currently in effect. U.S. government websites continue to post enjoined asylum regulations that are […]

Explainer published by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) on December 3, 2025, listing immigration policies announced by the Trump Administration in November and December 2025 and explaining their general impact.