O.C.V. v. Bondi: Tenth Circuit Vacates Matter of M-R-M-S-

On August 26, 2025, the Tenth Circuit issued a published decision, O.C.V. v. Bondi, vacating the Board of Immigration Appeals presidential decision Matter of M-R-M-S-, which had wrongfully held that if a persecutor had any motivation other than animus toward the family group, an asylum seeker could not prevail on a family-based asylum claim. The Tenth Circuit rejected this narrowed definition of nexus. The case was litigated in federal court by the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies and the National Immigration Project.