Research Guides: Migration from Central America: Asylum

What is asylum?

Many migrants from Central America are seeking asylum in the United States. According to the encyclopedia Immigration and Migration in Context , "Asylum is a feature of international law that assists individuals whose liberty or safety is under unjust threat in their homeland. In cases in which an individual's country of citizenship cannot or will not protect him or her from such threats, asylum allows the person to seek refuge in another, safer country."

Click here to read the overview article on asylum

Asylum and Migration
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Their page on asylum and migration has links to UN documents and news articles.
US Customs and Immigration Services information on asylum
In the United States, asylum may be granted to individuals who face persecution based on:
Race
Religion
Nationality
Membership in a particular social group
Political opinion

Detention of asylum seekers

International Detention Guidelines
Publication of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
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These Guidelines are intended to provide guidance to governments, parliamentarians, legal practitioners, decision-makers, including the judiciary, as well as other
international and national bodies working on detention and asylum matters, including non-governmental organisations and national human rights institutions.
Concerns about ICE Detainee Treatment and Care at Detention Facilities
Report of the Office of Inspector General of the US Department of Homeland Security, December 2017
Myth vs. Fact: DHS Zero-Tolerance Policy
Document from the Department of Homeland Security defending U.S. detention policies, June 2018
America Didn’t Always Lock Up Immigrants
Opinion piece on the history of detention of asylum seekers published in the New York Times in December 2018

More resources

Sanctuary Cities: Should Local and State Governments Adopt Policies That Protect Undocumented Immigrants from Deportation?
This Janurary 2019 report from Issues and Controversies looks at communities' responses to undocumented residents.

Desperately Seeking Asylum: Testimonies of Trauma, Courage, and Love by Helen T. Boursier
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2019
Told through heart-wrenching testimonies, photographs, and artwork of refugees fleeing their homelands, Desperately Seeking Asylum describes firsthand accounts of the harrowing and dangerous journey immigrants are willing to endure knowing that they might not even make it onto US soil.
Migrating to Prison: America's obsession with locking up immigrants by César Cuauhtémo García Hernández
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2019
An in-depth look at the imprisonment of immigrants addressing the intersection of immigration and the criminal justice system.
Refuge Beyond Reach: How Rich Democracies Repel Asylum Seekers by David Scott FitzGerald
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2019
Addresses one of the world's most pressing challenges-how to manage flows of refugees and other types of migrants-and helps to identify the conditions under which individuals can access the protection of their universal rights.