As large numbers of migrants from Central America have fled to the U.S. in recent years, there’s been a lot of talk about the asylum process and how it works in the U.S. Asylum grants are just a tiny part of America’s vast and complicated immigration system, but the process is widely misunderstood and mischaracterized, even by the government leaders responsible for managing it. So, what does it mean to seek asylum in the U.S.? And what are the valid reasons for granting asylum?