To the Editor:

Re “Trump Administration Seeks to Further Curb U.S. Asylum System” (news article, July 19):

The attorney general’s ruling last month sought to unnecessarily tighten already high standards for evaluating asylum claims based on domestic violence. As a result of that ruling, and the subsequent policy guidance, immigration officers may now feel emboldened to deny asylum to women fleeing domestic violence, even under the most life-threatening circumstances.

Nonetheless, both the attorney general’s ruling and the guidance from Citizenship and Immigration Services acknowledge what has not changed — that making a decision to grant or deny asylum requires careful, case-by-case analysis.

Imagine traveling on a perilous journey to escape traumatic, life-threatening circumstances, only to be summarily denied protection and a bridge to safety.

Congress enacted our asylum laws intending for the United States to provide safe haven for individuals, many of them women, who face extreme threats to their lives and safety. If we fail to do so, we will be sending those most vulnerable back to face violent abuse, and will be complicit in the harm that comes to them.