Immigration Judges and U.S. Asylum Policy

Banks Miller teaches political science at the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. Linda Camp Keith is Associate Professor of Political Science at the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is author of many works on human rights and the rule of law, including Political Repression: Courts and Law, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press. Jennifer S. Holmes is Professor of Public Policy and Political Economy at the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is author of Terrorism and Democratic Stability.

Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Creating a Dataset Chapter 3. A Cognitive Approach to IJ Decision Making Chapter 4. Local Conditions and IJ Decision Making Chapter 5. Appealing to the Board of Immigration Appeals Chapter 6. The Policy Gap and Asylum Outcomes Chapter 7. IJs and Reform of the U.S. Asylum System Notes References Index Acknowledgments

"This is an excellent and important book. Through a series of careful analyses based on an extraordinary body of data, the authors provide a rich picture of the considerations that shape decisions by immigration judges in asylum cases. Their insightful interpretations of their findings do much to inform the discussion of proposals to change the system of adjudicating applications for asylum. Because of its impressive use of an innovative cognitive framework for analysis of judges' decisions, the book also makes a valuable contribution to the study of judicial behavior." (Lawrence Baum, Ohio State University) "A tour-de-force. The authors skillfully blend theories of human rights in international relations, immigration control, and judicial process to develop a convincing framework for understanding asylum policy in the United States." (Idean Salehyan, University of North Texas)