Johana Cece is an Albanian woman who was targeted by organized crime figures in Albania for forced sex trafficking. She fled Albania to escape, and applied for asylum. The Board of Immigration Appeals (Board) denied her claim, holding that Albanian women who fear sex trafficking cannot access asylum protections in this country, because that group of women is not "cognizable" for purposes of our asylum laws. A panel of the Court of Appeals upheld the Board's decision by a 2-1 vote, with Judge Rovner dissenting. The Court of Appeals then voted to rehear the case en banc. All 10 active members of the court, plus Judge Manion who is in senior status but sat on the panel, heard oral argument in the case on September 27, 2012. Chuck Roth represented NIJC in oral argument.
Legal Documents
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Petitioner's Supplemental Brief
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NIJC Amicus
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Government's Supplemental Brief
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Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) Amicus*
Blog
*CGRS's motion for leave to file a brief as amicus curiae was denied on August 30, 2012