Sarah Stillman
The End of Asylum is an urgently-needed book, and a genuine public service: a meticulous account of how the Trump Administration dismantled the country's humanitarian protections for asylum-seekers and refugees. A clarifying read for anyone who wants to understand the full scope of the damage wrought by President Trump, this book offers a step-by-step tour of the toll for vulnerable people at the southern border and beyond. If the Trump Administration's layered attacks on asylum-seekers were convoluted and often legally-sloppy, Schoenholtz, Ramji-Nogales, and Schrag are the opposite: clear, cogent, trust-worthy guides through a bureaucratic disaster-scape. The authors remind us of why refugee protections exist in the first place, tracing their origins back to moral failures during the Holocaust for which the US, and much of Europe, sought to atone. They also train our eyes towards the future, to assess how vital humanitarian protections can be restored, or even expanded, by a new Administration–a necessary spark of hope for the tempest-tossed.
Guy S. Goodwin-Gill
Read this book! It's a clear, concise, and devastating indictment of the criminal damage done–viciously, vindictively–to the asylum and refugee protection regime by the Trump administration. And read it for what the President and Congress can and should do to remedy the injustice–take back the reins and legislate a fair and equitable asylum process.
Stacey Abrams
The US asylum system has long served as a beacon of liberty for those fleeing persecution in their homelands– and for decades, enjoyed bipartisan support. As we dig out from the rubble of the Trump administration, this book is required reading to understand how his administration wrecked America’s commitment to humanitarian protection. From the genesis of the asylum process to its evolution over time, Schoenholtz, Ramji-Nogales, and Schrag meticulously detail how the administration weaponized regulations, decisions, and policies to undermine this vital program. More importantly, the authors deliver comprehensive guidance for rebuilding an asylum system that again upholds American ideals and the US commitment to protect refugees from terrible harm.
David L. Neal
This book is a comprehensive, deeply insightful accounting of the deconstruction of the US asylum system under the Trump administration. The authors combine scholarly history with a gritty, real-time analysis of current events, narrating the assault on asylum with a perfect blend of legal precision and conversational tone. For asylum expert and novice alike, this book is outstanding reading.
T. Alexander Aleinikoff
Concise and comprehensive, The End of Asylum recounts the relentless, and largely successful, efforts of the Trump administration to stop refugees and asylum-seekers from receiving protection in the US. The Biden administration should take careful note of the authors' smart and practical proposals for restoring America's traditional welcome to those seeking safety from persecution.
Elisa Massimino
The Trump administration unleashed a blitzkrieg against the US asylum system, a comprehensive assault as cruel as it was effective. The authors catalogue the changes that have, taken together, inflicted profound suffering on people seeking safety and obliterated the system of protection that Congress forty years ago sought to create. Most importantly, this timely and essential book reminds us why America pledged to protect refugees in the first place and details the practical steps a new administration must take to live up to that promise.
Natalie Nanasi
This important and timely book painstakingly details the Trump administration’s dismantling of the US asylum system. Its comprehensive review and analysis will not only serve as an important historical record, but should be required reading for anyone seeking to undo the damage wrought in the last four years.
