Senior Project Advisor

Wolff, Michael Jerome

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Spring 2019

Keywords

asylum, refugee, immigration policy, immigration law, ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States, Mexico, Latin America, South America, Central America, gang violence

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to understand the dynamic between Latin American countries and the United States in relation to asylum, mass migration and the process of legally entering the country. This explores the implications of the United States’ current legislature in place and how this caters to the U.S.’s interests. Furthermore, the theoretical implementation of asylum and its political origins are evaluated in the context of organized crime and social issues that impact migration trends. While the movement of goods is acceptable the movement of people is heavily scrutinized and politically charged. My proposed argument is that the current asylum laws in place benefit a select few, often not covering individuals who need protection but do not meet requirements. The requirements are vague, where the definition of “well-founded fear” is subjectively decided and requires “evidence of persecution,” which is challenging to provide authorities. This leads to the denial of asylum status to individuals that need protection but would benefit from an alternative legal path to immigration.

Department

Political Science

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Asylum, Right of--United States; Refugees--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States; United States--Emigration and immigration; Latin American--Emigration and immigration; Human rights--United States

Geographic Coverage

United States; Latin America

Genre/Form

student projects; term papers

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

Share

COinS