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Immigration Law Research Guide: Asylum Law

Provides general and specialized sources for researching U.S. immigration law, including online government resources, statutes, regulations & case law, plus general and specialized secondary sources and immigration-related organizations.

Quick Links

 

 

  • USCIS Asylum page.  Includes links and forms.

Asylum Law

This page contains both secondary sources on asylum law, in addition to useful links for conducting country conditions research.

Asylum Law: Secondary Sources

  1. Law of Asylum in the United States, Deborah E. Anker. (West, 2019).

    One volume; author is Director of the Harvard Law School Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program. Chapters include: Introduction, Standard of Proof, Evidence, Persecution, Nexus and Grounds of Persecution, Exclusions from Asylum and Withholding of Removal, and Protection Under Article 3 of Convention Against Torture.
     

    Library: KF4836 .L34 (*print ceased in 2020)
    Westlaw: LOAUS

 

  1. AILA's Asylum Primer: A Practical Guide to U.S. Asylum Law and Procedure, 8th ed.  Dree K. Collopy. (American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2019).

    One volume, with forms. Includes Summary of laws, international standards, and issues in asylum law, with sample documents.
     
    Library: KF4836 .G47 2019 (Reserve)

 

  1. Asylum Case Law Sourcebook: Master Index and Case Abstracts for U.S. Court Decisions,  Gerald Seipp. (Thomson-Reuters/West, 2019).

    Includes summaries of reported U.S. federal court cases on asylum; does not include BIA decisions. Organized by subject. Covers cases reported from 1980, when the Refugee Act of 1980 was enacted; updated yearly.
     
    Library: KF4836.A53 A78 (Stacks)
    Westlaw: ASYLUMCLS

 

Country Conditions Research

*See also the News, Journals & Blogs Tab, and the Organizations Tab (for particular issues.)

 

Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), Country Conditions Pages (Department of Justice). Can search by country; within country, organized by topical issues.  Includes U.S. State Department Reports, in addition to annual reports by other countries (UK, Canada.)

 

U.S. State Department:

 

Canada, Immigration & Refugee Board 

 

United Kingdom, Home Office

*See also the News, Journals & Blogs Tab, and the Organizations Tab (for particular issues.)

Reports & Information from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs):

 

 

  • Freedom House: Reports include Freedom in the World, Freedom on the Net, and Freedom of the Press.  See "Reports" tab.

 

  • Human Rights Watch: Produces an annual World Report, in addition to reports on particular topics.

 

  • Refworld: Extensive collection of reports on country conditions, and policy & legal documents.  A project of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).