In recent years, cases involving Central American migrants, including unaccompanied children (UACs) and families, have inundated the U.S. immigration system. Many of these migrants have expressed a fear of persecution and have applied for asylum, initiating a resource and time-intensive adjudication process with high stakes. Since many of these claims rely on non-legal expertise - often relating to country conditions and/or mental health assessments - the influx of cases presents new opportunities for collaboration between social scientists and legal scholars. In order to foster the collaboration that could inform the equitable adjudication of these cases, a cross-disciplinary team at American University convened an international group of researchers and practitioners with expertise across three areas: 1) country conditions in Central America; 2) psychological assessment of asylum seekers; and 3) asylum adjudication and evolving jurisprudence on asylum law in the U.S. The workshop had multiple goals, including the development of cross-disciplinary professional networks, the articulation of plans for future research, and the identification of other collaborative efforts seeking to address challenges in asylum adjudication.

This book examines the social construction and representation of ‘youth on the move’ in the context of the migration process, using El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as a case study to reinterpret the immigration process under the frameworks of coloniality and epistemologies of the South. The discussion surrounding Central American migrants has increased exponentially with the emergence of the caravans and the increased security measures along Mexican and US borders. Explicitly focused on the plight of children and young people, the examination of migration includes exploring the global context and dynamics that influence migratory trends and framing Central American migrant processes and youth strategies of survival and resistance. Contributing to existing conversations about the migration of people from Central America, this text seeks to understand the phenomenon’s roots. This book will interest scholars and students across the social sciences, particularly those studying the global dynamics of power, and migration and governance, as well as practitioners involved in decision-making with governments and international organizations.

This bibliography of almost 800 entries includes books, newspaper, magazine and journal articles, unpublished papers, government documents, human rights reports, newsletters and bulletins, and other print material which was gathered by students and faculty during the course of a research seminar on the topic at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs of the University of Texas at Austin during 1983-1984. The bibliography does not claim to be an exhaustive listing of resources on Central American refugee issues. Although there was an attempt to gather as much information as possible, much of the material reflects a Texas focus. The major sections of this publication include: 1) books, manuscripts, unpublished papers, and church, government and human rights reports; 2) magazine and journal articles; 3) newspaper articles, editorials and statements; and 4) newsletters, bulletins, other reports and resources. Within each section, entries are arranged alphabetically first by title (when there is no author given), then alphabetically by author. Finally there is an index by subject and country. This publication reflects the combined efforts of the LBJ School of Public Affairs of the University of Texas, and the Central America Resource Center, a nonprofit educational and information Center located in Austin.

"The Trump administration has pursued a series of policy initiatives aimed at making it harder for people fleeing their homes to seek asylum in the United States.... In January 2019, the administration expanded its crackdown on asylum to a wholly new practice: that of returning asylum seekers to Mexico where they are expected to wait until their US asylum court proceedings conclude, for months and perhaps even for years.... [This report] details serious abuses associated with the US Department of Homeland Security's so-called Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).... The report reveals asylum seekers are trapped in dangerous Mexican border cities with limited shelter space where they lack meaningful access to due process in the US and face risks to safety and security."--Page 4 of cover.