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Desperately seeking asylum : testimonies of trauma, courage, and love / Helen T. Boursier.

by Boursier, Helen T., 1960- author.

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Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield [2019]

Refugees -- United States -- Social conditions -- Anecdotes.

Refugees -- Abuse of -- United States -- Anecdotes.

Refugees -- Central America -- Social conditions -- Anecdotes.

Refugees -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States.

United States -- Emigration and immigration -- Government policy.

Mexican-American Border Region -- Anecdotes.

9781538128336 hardcover

1538128330 hardcover

xi, 223 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Introduction: setting the context for the conversation -- Part I. Testimonies of trauma, courage, and love: meet the people seeking asylum -- 1. Desperately seeking asylum: why the families flee their homelands -- 2. Fleeing for their lives: the dangerous overland Journey -- 3. The harsh reality: "Welcome" to the United States -- Part II. U.S. immigration policies and practices -- 4. The messy immigration matrix -- 5. National leadership shapes U.S. immigration policies and practices -- 6. Reality check: blatant violations against asylum seekers at the southern border -- 7. Credible fear for asylum -- 8. The scarcity mentality and the language of injustice at the border -- Part III. Hope for a new vision: alternative options and practical actions -- 9. The bigger picture: embracing refugees as neighbors -- 10. Moving toward responsible response -- 11. Making the political personal: three examples -- 12. Help and hope for migrants: humanitarian aid on both sides of the border -- 13. Public witness and civic engagement -- 14. Resources for education and action.

"Desperately Seeking Asylum prioritizes the testimonies of refugee families and unaccompanied children who are seeking asylum in the U.S. from Central America, primarily Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Their desperate and heart-wrenching stories disclose why they fled their homelands, their experiences along the treacherous overland journey, and the harsh reality of how the U.S. treats these families and children upon arrival to the U.S. It critiques U.S. complicity to the violence they are fleeing and discloses how national leadership shapes U.S. Immigration policies and practices, including the blatant documented violations against asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Most notably, it offers transparency on U.S. Immigration practices at the U.S.-Mexico border which violate existing U.S. and international laws that are intended to protect asylum seekers, including the current official practice of blocking bridges with 'turnbacks' to prevent 'inadmissibles' from applying for asylum in the U.S. It explains protections mandated by U.S. law for unaccompanied children who are in U.S. custody, and discloses violations which keep these children detained excessive lengths of time in substandard for-profit facilities which are overseen by the government and funded by taxpayers. Boursier also deconstructs the complicated asylum process, including examining the credible fear for asylum procedure, showing how technical terms and language are used to justify injustice at the border"--

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