The Immigration Debate Links
Historical and Current Issues of Immigration

Lessons 6 & 7: Refugees and Asylum

Appendix E: Overview of U.S. Refugee Policy A thorough review of U.S. refugee policy organized geographically to show how political and social conditions in different regions of the world affect the resettlement process of refugees from those regions. From U.S. Department of State.

History of the United States Asylum Officer Corps A history of U.S. protection of refugees and asylum seekers since before 1980, including US and international legislation and regulations and consideration of post-9/11 policy issues. From American Immigration Law Center.

Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, and Asylum Seekers Guide to refugees and displaced persons and national and international policies and regulations directed toward them. Includes documents by region and thematic issues, such as refugee children and gender-based asylum claims. From Human Rights Watch.

Special report: refugees News articles and feature stories on the refugee experience and the international debate surrounding refugee policy, including welfare benefits and immigration regulations. Particular emphasis on the United Kingdom and the European Union. From Guardian Unlimited.

The American Baptist Churches v. Thornburgh ABC Settlement Agreement Official settlement agreement of class-action lawsuit against the Immigration and Naturalization Service on behalf of Guatemalans and Salvadorans in the United States before 1985. Includes brief background and description of settlement benefits. From U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The Elian Gonzalez Case News articles and feature stories on the controversial Elian Gonzalez asylum case of 1999-2000. From PBS Online NewsHour.

What to Do About Refugees? Discussion exploring how current U.S. refugee policy allows individuals not authentically fleeing persecution to pursue non-essential resettlement here. From the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Asylum Reform Similar discussion on the abuses of the current asylum process by deportable aliens attempting to avoid deportation and thus inadvertently frustrating those who truly merit asylum. From the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

A Look at Refugee and Asylum Numbers An analysis and suggestions for reform by FAIR, an organization that supports lowering the number of immigrants.

Refugee Women Fleeing Persecution face Unfair U.S. Laws Article discussing a Lawyers Committee for Human Rights report (PDF) outlining barriers to asylum faced by legitimate woman refugees, particularly in light of post-9/11 immigration policy and practices. From Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.

U.S. "Operation Liberty Shield" Undermines Asylum Seekers' Rights Article criticizing recent Homeland Security policy of detaining all asylum seekers from countries where terrorists organizations have been active, citing human-rights violations. From Human Rights Watch.

Books:

DPs: Europe's Displaced Persons, 1945-1951 By Mark Wyman.

Asylum New York Times book review of Fauziya Kassindja and Layli Miller Bashir's Do They Hear You When You Cry, an autobiographical work describing Kassindja's experience as an asylum seeker in the U.S. escaping gender-based oppression in her native West African nation of Togo. From NYTimes.com.

Lesson 8: Refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia

Vietnamese Americans Resources and lessons on Vietnamese-American history and culture. From Tolerance.org.

Vietnamese Studies Internet Resource Center Information on Vietnamese history, culture, and the growth and development of the Vietnamese diaspora across the world. Includes census data, news and reviews of Vietnamese studies, photography essays, and extensive bibliography and links of interest. Personally maintained website.

Vietnamese Refugee Experience Free lesson plan materials covering the Vietnamese refugee experience, particularly in the United States, following the fall of Saigon in 1975. From Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education.

Cambodians in America Brief guide to the Cambodian diaspora in the United States with links. From Providence Public Library and the Cambodian community of the greater Providence area.

Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center Information on the Hmong people a south Asian culture with communities living in China, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand--their history, culture, and diaspora around the world. Personally maintained website.

The Asian Population: 2000 Report analyzing population and housing data collected from Census 2000 to provide a portrait of the broader Asian population. From U.S. Census Bureau. PDF file.