Asylum for Former Mexican Police Officers Persecuted by the Narcos

Abstract

Since President Felipe Calderón declared war against Mexico’s narcotraffickers in 2006, drug violence has escalated and has claimed the lives of over 2000 Mexican police officers. To successfully petition for asylum in the United States, former Mexican police officers facing persecution by the Narcos must prove that they are members of a particular social group. In past cases, courts have refused to find that persecution by the Narcos qualifies a petitioner as a member of a particular social group. This Article argues, however, that former Mexican police officers facing persecution by the Narcos are members of a particular social group based on a shared past experience and should be granted asylum in the United States.