Fall 2009: Asylum Seekers Need Protection, Not Detention

When asylum seekers arrive at a U.S. airport or other port of entry and tell immigration officials they are afraid to return to their native
countries, under current U.S. immigration policies they are arrested and detained, often for months, without an opportunity to ask for release. This policy brief covers the mistreatment of asylum seekers under current U.S. immigration enforcement and detention policies and calls for the U.S. government to adopt policies that presume release for asylum seekers who are found to have credible asylum claims.