Asylum: One Central Reason and Nexus
Proving nexus in asylum cases can be particularly challenging. If the persecutor had multiple motives, when do you win the case? What if the persecutor had three reasons, but only one is a protected ground? Expert panelists will share their viewpoints on establishing nexus, including how to connect the dots (i.e., evidence) between nexus and the protected ground.
Featured Topics
- Mixed motives: If the evidence shows that the persecutor (a) wants money and (b) has animus against the family, do you win the case?
- What is the difference between “a” reason and “a central reason?”
- Best practices: showing the protected ground is more than “incidental, tangential, and superficial”
- Circuit split: how to review differences between circuits with the “incidental, tangential, and superficial” standard
- Must the protected ground be the primary or predominant reason?
- Distinguishing Matter of M–R–M–S– and Matter of O–A–R–G–
AILA Membership Benefit – Access to Free Seminar Recordings (CLE Credit Available for $35)
Enjoy access to free seminar recordings as an AILA Member. AILA encourages live attendance for those wishing to ask the speaker questions. CLE credit is included with purchase for live participants.
Recordings will be available approximately two weeks after the live event date. AILA members can access these seminars, with no CLE credit, for free. Recordings are CLE eligible in most jurisdictions and a $35 administration fee is required to obtain CLE credit.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a web seminar recording.
| Product Details | |
| Event Date | December 16, 2025 |
| Format | Web Seminar |
| Length | 90 minutes |
| CLE Eligible | Yes. Live attendance must be recorded in My CLE by Tuesday, December 23, 2025. This deadline does not apply to the OnDemand format. |
| Digital Library | Digital goods (MP3, PDF, ZIP, etc.) are available for download for two years after purchase. |
Eligible participants can receive up to 1.8 CLE credit hours. AILA will administer CLE credit only to individuals who register and log into the web seminar. AILA cannot verify your attendance and participation in this program unless you register directly for the web seminar and use your name to log in to participate in the program. Therefore, persons who log in or listen in on the web seminar as part of a group will not be able to obtain CLE credit.
Please note that your jurisdiction may limit the amount of distance learning credit you can earn. To view details on your jurisdiction's credit restrictions and CLE requirements, visit the CLE Center.
AILA has filed for CLE and specialized credit in all jurisdictions with mandatory CLE requirements. For details about specific approvals, contact us at cle@aila.org.
- AILA applies for accreditation upon attorneys’ request after participation for the following states: AR, DE, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, OR, TN and WY. Programs are typically approved.
- Florida and Rhode Island - Attorneys must apply on their own for approval of seminars in FL and RI. Programs are typically approved.
- The OnDemand Recording format does not qualify for CLE credit in the following jurisdictions: MO and PR. Please note that your jurisdiction may limit OnDemand credit based on the date of the original presentation. View the OnDemand Downloadable Expiration Chart for more details.
To receive CLE credit for the live event, attorneys must record web seminar attendance and the CLE code provided by December 23, 2025 via My CLE.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a seminar recording.
Katie Herbert Meyer (DL), AILA Asylum and Refugee Committee Vice Chair, St. Louis, MO
Katie Herbert Meyer is a Professor of Practice and Director of the Immigration Law Clinic at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri. She is co-chair of AILA’s national Asylum and Refugee Committee and regularly teaches and speaks on asylum law and policy. She is a 2003 graduate of Washington University School of Law, where she received awards for her public service.
Dree K. Collopy, AILA Author, AILA's Asylum Primer: A Practical Guide to U.S. Asylum Law and Procedure, 9th ed., Washington, D.C.
Dree K. Collopy is Of Counsel to Grossman Young & Hammond and a member of the faculty at American University Washington College of Law, where she teaches in the Immigrant Justice Clinic and Asylum and Refugee Law. For nearly two decades, she has represented individuals and families seeking protection from persecution and torture, as well as other relief. A recognized expert on U.S. asylum law and policy, Dree works to develop strategies in complex asylum cases, assists immigrant and refugee rights organizations with their advocacy efforts, and trains other lawyers around the country. She is the author of AILA's Asylum Primer, the leading treatise on U.S. asylum law and practice.
Ashley Huebner, Chicago, IL
Ashley Huebner is pro bono counsel with Jones Day’s Border Project, where she mentors attorneys representing noncitizens in protection-based claims, with a focus on detained asylum seekers in Laredo, Texas. She is the author of numerous asylum practice advisories and manuals and has served in various AILA Chicago Chapter committees and AILA National Liaison committees. Ms. Huebner received her JD from Boston University School of Law.
Karla Lammers, Miami Gardens, FL
