The Path to Asylum in the US and the Determinants for Who Gets In and Why

International Migration Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 3-34, Spring 2009

32 Pages Posted: 20 Jun 2010 Last revised: 27 Jan 2015

See all articles by Andy J. Rottman

Andy J. Rottman

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

Christopher J. Fariss

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Political Science

Steven C. Poe

University of North Texas

Date Written: March 5, 2009

Abstract

The migration of political asylum seekers into the United States has long been a salient political topic; however, social scientists have yet to examine this process in its entirety and in the context of political changes since September 11, 2001. Previous research shows that humanitarian and strategic interests are important for decisions made by asylum officers but that research overlooks the decisions made by immigration judges. Here we examine decisions made by both asylum officers and immigration judges using data from a global set of countries, from 1999 to 2004. We find that the waning importance of human rights is more pronounced for asylum officers than for immigration judges after the attack on the World Trade Center. We also find that language heritage, specifically for asylum seekers from English-, Spanish-, and Arabic-speaking countries, substantially affects acceptance rates made by both decision-makers between the two time periods of our study.

Keywords: Asylum, Human Rights

Suggested Citation

Rottman, Andy J. and Fariss, Christopher J. and Poe, Steven C., The Path to Asylum in the US and the Determinants for Who Gets In and Why (March 5, 2009). International Migration Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 3-34, Spring 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1625617

Andy J. Rottman

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs ( email )

1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80918-7150
United States

Christopher J. Fariss (Contact Author)

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Political Science ( email )

Ann Arbor, MI 48109
United States

Steven C. Poe

University of North Texas ( email )

1155 Union Circle #305340
Denton, TX 76203
United States

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