Overview

How the US asylum process fails to protect against claims of gender-based violence Through eyewitness accounts of closed-court proceedings and powerful testimony from women who have sought asylum in the United States because of severe assaults and death threats by intimate partners and/or gang members, Private Violence examines how immigration laws and policies shape the lives of Latin American women who seek safety in the United States. Carol Cleaveland and Michele Waslin describe the women’s histories prior to crossing the border, and the legal strategies they use to convince Immigration Judges that rape and other forms of “private violence” should merit asylum – despite laws built on Cold War era assumptions that persecution occurs in the public sphere by state actors. Private Violence provides much-needed recommendations for incorporating a gender-based lens in the asylum process. The authors demonstrate how policy changes across Presidential administrations have made it difficult for survivors of “private violence” to qualify for asylum. Private Violence paints a damning portrait of America’s broken asylum system. This volume illustrates the difficulties experienced by Latin American women who rely on this broken system for protection in the United States. It also illuminates women’s resilience and the determination of immigration attorneys to reshape asylum law.

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9781479824335

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Reviews

"""With subtlety, sharp observations, and carefully crafted analysis, Private Violence renders with clarity the logjam of the U.S. asylum system for women seeking protection from violence. A compelling contribution that debunks myths about humanitarian protections, Carol Cleaveland and Michele Waslin offer an important and timely intervention that should be of interest to a wide readership."" * Cecilia Menjívar, co-author of Immigrant Families * ""Weaving together rich courtroom observations, captivating interviews, and thoughtful analysis, Cleaveland and Waslin lead readers through the convoluted U.S. immigration system to demonstrate the compounded marginalization female asylum seekers experience at the intersections of criminalization, racialization, and legal liminality. Ultimately, Private Violence reveals the structural and symbolic nature of gender-based violence in Latin America, along with U.S. complicity in creating the conditions leading to such violence, highlighting our ethical obligation to reimagine U.S. asylum policy for the 21st century. This book is a must-read for students, scholars, and practitioners interested in advancing global human rights and promoting harm reduction in the U.S. and abroad."" * Maya Pagni Barak, author of The Slow Violence of Immigration Court: Procedural Justice on Trial * ""Should the United States grant asylum to women fleeing violence from their intimate partners and gangs abroad? In answering this question through the stories of forty-six Latin American women facing deportation, the authors clearly explain why violence is so pervasive and how the U.S. legal system struggles to decide who merits protection."" * David Scott FitzGerald, co-author of The Refugee System: A Sociological Approach * ""Cleaveland and Waslin make a compelling debut with this detailed analysis of the experiences of women from Central America and Mexico seeking asylum in the U.S. ... Their harrowing stories amply support the authors’ persuasive argument in favor of systemic, humane immigration policy reform. A timely, eye-opening study."" * Kirkus Reviews *"

With subtlety, sharp observations, and carefully crafted analysis, Private Violence renders with clarity the logjam of the U.S. asylum system for women seeking protection from violence. A compelling contribution that debunks myths about humanitarian protections, Carol Cleaveland and Michele Waslin offer an important and timely intervention that should be of interest to a wide readership. * Cecilia Menjívar, co-author of Immigrant Families * Weaving together rich courtroom observations, captivating interviews, and thoughtful analysis, Cleaveland and Waslin lead readers through the convoluted U.S. immigration system to demonstrate the compounded marginalization female asylum seekers experience at the intersections of criminalization, racialization, and legal liminality. Ultimately, Private Violence reveals the structural and symbolic nature of gender-based violence in Latin America, along with U.S. complicity in creating the conditions leading to such violence, highlighting our ethical obligation to reimagine U.S. asylum policy for the 21st century. This book is a must-read for students, scholars, and practitioners interested in advancing global human rights and promoting harm reduction in the U.S. and abroad. * Maya Pagni Barak, author of The Slow Violence of Immigration Court: Procedural Justice on Trial * Should the United States grant asylum to women fleeing violence from their intimate partners and gangs abroad? In answering this question through the stories of forty-six Latin American women facing deportation, the authors clearly explain why violence is so pervasive and how the U.S. legal system struggles to decide who merits protection. * David Scott FitzGerald, co-author of The Refugee System: A Sociological Approach *

Author Information

Carol Cleaveland (Author) Carol Cleaveland is Associate Professor of Social Work at George Mason University. Michele Waslin (Author) Michele Waslin is Assistant Director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota.

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