What is the legal test for granting asylum to an illegal immigrant?

To become eligible for asylum, an alien must satisfy a two-step process. First, she must qualify as a "refugee" under 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1101(a)(42)(A) by showing that she is unable or unwilling to return to her country "because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." Id. If statutory eligibility is established, the Attorney General may, as a matter of discretion, grant asylum. See Barraza-Rivera v. INS, 913 F.2d 1443, 1449 (9th Cir.1990).