Attorneys say the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma has seen a small surge of Central American women seeking asylum because of domestic violence.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project attorney Betsy Tao says her legal aid office has seen around a 100 women seeking asylum based on past domestic violence. Considering all the immigrants held here, these women represent a small number. But in a place like the Tacoma Detention Center, the women stand out.

The women are coming to the United States as advocates have begun pushing to reform asylum law in the immigration overhaul being formulated in by Congress and President Barack Obama. Advocates want to ensure gender-based asylum claims constitute part of a "particular social group," which would qualify victims of domestic violence to get asylum easier.

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Manuel Valdes can be reached at http://twitter.com/ByManuelValdes