Political asylum is a kind of protection offered by a foreign government to someone who faces violence or persecution in their own country.
In the U.S., a refugee is someone who is seeking political asylum because they aren't safe at home. These people are most often persecuted because of their race, religion, political opinions, social group, or gender. Asylum means "sanctuary" in Latin, from a Greek root, asylon, "refuge or fenced territory." When a nation grants political asylum, it uses its political power to provide a refuge to people who can't find that kind of safety in their native country.