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Overview and Historical Background of U.S. Asylum Law

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Asylum Medicine

Abstract

Medical and psychological evaluations often play an important role in asylum cases. A health professional’s report or testimony can document the effects of persecution or torture and provide evidence relevant to a number of legal issues that frequently arise in asylum claims. In order to perform their role effectively, health professionals who perform forensic evaluations need to understand the basic legal framework governing asylum and the procedures by which eligibility for asylum is determined. This chapter discusses the evolution of the international treaties and U.S. legal provisions that protect persons against removal to countries where they would be in danger of persecution. It describes the legal standards that are applied in determining whether an individual is eligible for asylum, which provides not only protection against removal but a path to lawful residence and citizenship, as well as “withholding of removal” and relief under the Convention Against Torture, two other forms of relief that prevent the deportation of some persons who face persecution or torture in their home country, even if they are ineligible for asylum. The processes for adjudicating asylum claims, including proceedings before the U.S. Asylum Office and the immigration courts, are described. This chapter concludes with a discussion of government policies that have posed major barriers to the ability of those seeking refuge to access asylum, and the role that health professionals can play in advocating for reforms to make the system fairer and more humane.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Asylum and Human Rights Clinic, University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, CT, USA

    Jon Bauer

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  1. Jon Bauer
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Correspondence to Jon Bauer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Center for Asylum Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Katherine C. McKenzie

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Bauer, J. (2022). Overview and Historical Background of U.S. Asylum Law. In: McKenzie, K.C. (eds) Asylum Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81580-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81580-6_1

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