U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday ended two Trump-era policies that made it difficult for people to obtain asylum on grounds of domestic or gang violence as well as for those who claimed a family member was threatened with violence. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a new directive to immigration judges to stop following the two rules, making it easier to secure asylum. “These decisions involve important questions about the meaning of our Nation’s asylum laws, which reflect America’s commitment to providing refuge to some of the world’s most vulnerable people,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta wrote in a memo explaining the decisions to immigration judges. Gene Hamilton, a key contributor to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and who served in the Justice Department, said in a statement that he believed the change would lead to more asylum claims based on crime and that should not be a reason for protections. Garland’s decision …