Lives in the Balance

Philip G. Schrag is the Delaney Family Professor of Public Interest Law and Director of the Center for Applied Legal Studies at Georgetown University Law Center.Andrew I. Schoenholtz is Visiting Professor, Director of the Human Rights Institute, and Director of the Center for Applied Legal Studies at Georgetown University Law Center. He is Deputy Director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.Jaya Ramji-Nogales is Associate Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Institute for International Law and Public Policy at Temple University's Beasley School of Law.

• List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Seeking Refuge 2. The Applicants and the Adjudicators 3. The One-Year Filing Deadline 4. Timeliness 5. The Rejections 6. Four Eras of Asylum Adjudication: Grant Rates over Time 7. Perceptions about the Asylum Seekers 8. Variations across the Regional Asylum Offices 9. Disparities within Asylum Offices 10. The Asylum Officers 11. Conclusions Appendix: Catchment Areas of the Eight Regional Asylum Offices Notes Index About the Authors

Lives in the Balance is a must-read for anyone who cares about human rights and the long-standing U.S. commitment to protect those fleeing persecution. . . . Its findings are often surprising, and always illuminating. Policymakers, scholars and practitioners alike will be well served by reading Lives in the Balance. This eminently readable volume is revelatory, and on the basis of its findings, we can better appreciate the strengths of the current system, as well as areas for potential reform and improvement. - Karen Musalo,U.C. Hastings College of Law Lives in the Balance is chock-full of insights and never-before-seen research about the men and women who decide asylum cases each and every day. Schoenholtz, Schrag, and Ramji-Nogales have elevated the discourse around the asylum process and deserve praise for publishing a compelling and well-timed book. It is a must-read for anyone seeking a holistic understanding about the Asylum Office and the narratives of public servants who make life-changing decisions. - Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia,Center for Immigrants' Rights, The Pennsylvania State University Without a doubt,Lives in the Balanceis a ground-breaking contribution to the study of U.S. asylum law and a comprehensive work on which much future analysis will be based. It should be required reading for not just those who represent asylum seekers or adjudicate asylum claims but for anyone who wishes to understand or reform the U.S. asylum system. (Political Science Quarterly) The book contributes to growing work on the 'culture of disbelief,' a prevalent issue among state institutions tasked with handling asylum applications. It approaches these difficult issues in a systematic way, analyzing the steps and roles played by each department within the asylum determination process through quantitative and qualitative methodologies. (International Migration Review)