When the United States No Longer Feels Like Refuge: How Our Global Solutions Practice Can Help

By Becki Young, Partner and Jason Levy , Counsel

For generations, people fleeing persecution have looked to the United States as a place of protection, stability, and legal refuge. But for many individuals and families who once believed the U.S. would be their safe harbor, recent policy changes, enforcement trends, and procedural uncertainty have made that assumption far less secure.

At Grossman Young & Hammond (GYH), we are seeing a growing number of clients and potential clients who no longer are only asking, “How can I stay in the United States?” They instead are asking, “If the United States is no longer safe or predictable for me and my family, where else can we go?”

That is a question our Global Solutions Practice can help answer.

A Changing Landscape for Humanitarian Protection in the United States

The recent USCIS rule announced July 27 allowing certain affirmative asylum applicants to be referred directly to immigration court without first receiving an interview before a USCIS asylum officer is just one of several recent changes reshaping the U.S. asylum system. It reflects a broader trend toward resolving asylum claims more quickly, frequently without the full range of procedural opportunities and protections that applicants have traditionally expected.

One example is the increasing use of a process known as “pretermission” in immigration court. Under this approach, an immigration judge may deny an asylum application without holding a full merits hearing if the judge concludes that, even assuming the applicant’s factual allegations are true, the claim does not meet the legal requirements for asylum. Recent guidance and court decisions have encouraged greater use of this process in appropriate cases. When viewed together with the new USCIS rule, referenced above, these changes mean that, in some cases, an applicant may receive neither a USCIS asylum interview nor a full individual hearing before an immigration judge before the claim is denied on legal grounds.

The Department of Homeland Security (which includes USCIS) and the Department of Justice (which houses the immigration courts) have described these changes as necessary to address the overwhelming asylum backlog and to resolve legally insufficient claims more efficiently. Advocates, however, rightly argue that the combined effect gives asylum seekers fewer opportunities to explain their experiences, present evidence, and fully develop the facts supporting their claims. For individuals and families seeking protection, these changes reflect a system that is becoming faster and more streamlined, but also more challenging to navigate and less likely to provide a meaningful opportunity to be heard.

Why “Global Solutions”

Our Global Solutions Practice grew out of our longstanding global mobility work. Historically, global mobility often meant helping companies relocate employees, hire talent abroad, or manage short-term business travel across borders. Today, the need is broader. Individuals and families are also looking for strategic, practical, and humane guidance when the U.S. is no longer the only—or the safest—option.

Our firm’s Global Solutions reflects that broader mission. We help clients evaluate outbound immigration options in a coordinated way, drawing on our U.S. immigration experience, our understanding of complex humanitarian and enforcement issues, and our network of trusted local counsel around the world.

In practice, our services may include identifying countries where a client may have viable residence, citizenship, investment, employment, family, ancestry-based, humanitarian, or protection-related options. It may also involve helping clients understand the practical barriers that often determine whether an option is realistic: passport validity, lawful entry requirements, consular processing rules, family unity, travel document availability, tax and business considerations, extradition concerns, language and cultural issues, and timing, to name a few.

We do not pretend that every country offers an easy alternative. In many cases, the first and most important step is a clear-eyed assessment of what may be possible, what is not possible, and what questions must be answered before a family makes life-changing decisions.

How the Process Works

Every matter begins with the person or family in front of us. We look at immigration history, current status, country of nationality, family composition, financial resources, work experience, education, language ability, health needs, safety concerns, travel documentation, and long-term goals. We also consider whether the client’s concerns are primarily about legal status, physical safety, family unity, political risk, economic opportunity, or any or all of the above.

From there, we may consult with carefully selected local counsel in one or more destination countries. In some cases, we arrange joint consultations so the client can hear directly from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction while GYH remains involved to frame the questions, translate unfamiliar legal concepts, and coordinate next steps. In other cases, we refer the client directly to local counsel after an initial strategy session. For clients who need ongoing or more comprehensive support, we can remain involved alongside local counsel to help manage communications, timing, documentation, and strategy.

The goal is not simply to identify a visa category. The goal is to help clients understand their options in context, anticipate obstacles, and make informed decisions about where they and their families may be able to build a safer and more stable future.

Examples of the Questions We Are Seeing

Recent matters illustrate the range of situations that may lead people to explore outbound options.

In one matter, a family pursuing protection in the United States was also moving forward with a residence option in Europe. As enforcement risks in the United States increased, the family wanted to understand how to manage the period while their request for protection was pending with USCIS: what documentation might help if they encountered immigration authorities in the United States, what contingency plans should be in place if a family member is detained, and how to coordinate U.S. immigration risk with an outbound visa process.

In another matter, an individual who had already obtained asylum in the United States continued to face serious transnational threats connected to persecution abroad. The question was not simply whether the person had legal status in the United States, but whether they would remain safe in United States. The family needed to explore whether protection in a third country might be possible and how issues such as passports, travel documents, lawful entry, extradition risk, and derivative family status would affect any strategy.

In a third matter, a family explored a nationality or citizenship pathway abroad based on ancestry and heritage. The immediate legal question involved eligibility and processing in the destination country, but the broader strategic question was how a second citizenship or residence option might provide long-term flexibility, mobility, and protection in an unstable U.S. immigration environment.

These examples are different, but they share a common theme: clients are no longer thinking about immigration as a single-country question. They are thinking globally, because safety, stability, and family security may require a global plan.

Who May Benefit from a Global Solutions Consultation

A Global Solutions consultation may be appropriate for individuals or families who:

• Have pending or approved humanitarian protection in the United States but feel unsafe or uncertain about remaining here;
• Are concerned about detention, removal proceedings, travel restrictions, or changing asylum procedures;
• Wish to evaluate residence, citizenship, investment, employment, family, or ancestry-based options abroad;
• Have family members with different nationalities, statuses, or documentation issues;
• Face transnational repression, politically motivated charges, or concerns about extradition or onward removal;
• Want to create a contingency plan before a crisis forces rushed decisions;
• Need coordinated advice from U.S. immigration counsel and local counsel in one or more destination countries; or
• Would like to reside elsewhere for any other personal or economic reasons.

Planning Beyond One Border

The United States remains home to many strong legal protections and extraordinary advocates. But for some people who came here seeking refuge, the U.S. no longer feels like the refuge it once promised to be. In that environment, exploring outbound options is not giving up. It is planning carefully, protecting family, and preserving agency in a system that can feel increasingly unpredictable.

Grossman Young & Hammond’s Global Solutions Practice helps individuals and families look beyond one border. By combining U.S. immigration experience, strategic global coordination, and trusted local counsel relationships, we help clients identify realistic options, ask the right questions, and move forward with clarity.

If you or your family are questioning whether the United States can still provide the safety, stability, or predictability you need, we can help you evaluate what may be possible elsewhere-and how to plan thoughtfully before circumstances become urgent.esidential power and the independence of the federal workforce for years to come.

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*Disclaimer: This information is presented for the purposes of general education and does not constitute legal advice.