Human Rights

# Asylum Seekers# Human Rights# International

The Escalating Threat of Third Country Deportations

The Trump Administration has dramatically increased the practice of deporting non-citizens to third countries. As of May 2026, more than 21,000 people have been removed to at least 24 different countries. In many cases, the non-citizen has no connection to the third country and in some case, has never even been to that country. Upon arrival in the the third country, non-citizens can be subject to arbitrary detention, human rights abuses, and sometimes, return to their home country where they fear persecution.

Here, we’ll take a look at what the U.S. government is doing and who might be vulnerable to a third country deportation.

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By Jason Dzubow
# Human Rights# Immigration

Stateless in Paradise

This post is by Mikhail Sebastian Okunuga, a coffee connoisseur, world traveler, writer, and memoirist whose work explores statelessness, exile, and the quiet resilience of survival. Drawing from years of displacement and travels across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific—including prolonged immigration detention—his award-winning memoir Stateless in Paradise has received both the International Impact Book Award and The Prestigious International Hope Book Award, honoring its powerful testimony to endurance, dignity, and the human search for belonging.

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By Jason Dzubow
# Asylum Seekers# Human Rights# International

Dishonest State Department Reports Seek to Undermine Asylum Claims

For me, the worst part about the Trump Administration’s immigration policies is not that they are detaining and deporting more people, or that they are changing the rules to make immigration more difficult and expensive. For me, the worst part is that the Administration constantly lies about non-citizens: that they are criminals, that come to the U.S. to steal our resources, that they don’t contribute to our country, that they don’t really face persecution back home. 

The newest iteration of the Administration’s mendacity is the State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which is meant to be a summary of human rights conditions in each country around the world (except for our own country, of course). These reports have long included information about a wide range of problematic behavior, including the treatment of women, LGBT individuals, and other vulnerable people.

The newest Reports, released earlier this week, contain little information about the treatment of women and, as far as I can tell, no mention what-so-ever about the persecution of sexual minorities. The issue for asylum seekers is that Immigration Judges and Asylum Officers rely on these Reports when they make their decisions. If the Reports minimize human rights abuses, it becomes more difficult to obtain asylum.

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By Jason Dzubow
# Asylum Seekers# Human Rights# Immigration

Dear Jill Stein and “Abandon Harris” Voters: My Asylum-Seeker Clients Need Your Help

I have been a member of the Green Party for more than 20 years. Our presidential candidate is Dr. Jill Stein, who is polling at between 1% and 2% in most swing states. That doesn’t sound like much, but in this year’s very tight contest for president, it could determine the outcome of the election.

A portion of Dr. Stein’s support comes from those who oppose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their policy towards Israel and Palestine. These voters, led by the Abandon Harris movement, have thrown their support behind the Green Party candidate, who is leading Harris among likely Muslim voters in several states.

The philosophy behind refusing to choose “the lesser evil,” is nothing new, and I have long disagreed with the approach. This year, the danger is particularly acute, as a Trump win will be especially harmful to Muslims, immigrants, and minorities in the United States (i.e., my clients), as well as people in Palestine. It will also set back the third party movement and cause great harm to our democracy.

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By Jason Dzubow
# Asylees and Refugees# Asylum Seekers# Human Rights# Legal

Jimmy Carter’s Immigration Legacy

Jimmy Carter turns 100 years old today. Mr. Carter was President from 1977 to 1981. During those years, he created the modern asylum system when he signed the Refugee Act of 1980, oversaw the admission of Cubans and Haitians during the Mariel Boatlift, assisted refugees from South Vietnam, which had recently fallen to the Communist North, and worked to increase security along the U.S.-Mexico border. During his long post-presidency, Mr. Carter has championed human rights and democracy, advocated for peace, improved healthcare, fought disease, promoted low-cost housing, and engaged in various diplomatic missions for the U.S. government. Among his many honors, Mr. Carter received the Noble Peace Prize in 2002. 

On the occasion of the former President’s 100th birthday, I thought it would be appropriate to look back at his record on immigration, and see how his contributions continue to impact asylum seekers and other migrants more than four decades after he left office.

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By Jason Dzubow
# Asylum Seekers# Human Rights# International

Is the Asylum System Better in France?

This post is by Hélène Bonvalot, former Director General at Centre Primo Levi in Paris, France and a Fulbright Fellow at the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC) International in Washington, DC.

As the leader of a French NGO working with refugees, I am often asked whether the asylum system in France is more effective than in the United States. Most of my American colleagues believe that the situation cannot be any worse than here, but in fact, seeking asylum is challenging everywhere, with differences and similarities.

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By Jason Dzubow
# Asylum Seekers# Human Rights# International

Jewish Attorney; Palestinian Client

I am an asylum attorney. I am also Jewish. In my role as a lawyer, I represent many Muslims and many people from the Middle East, including Palestinians. Today, I want to discuss what it means to be a Jewish attorney representing Palestinian asylum seekers during this time of conflict.

I’d like to start with a message I recently received from one of my Palestinian clients, about his family in Gaza. 

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By Jason Dzubow
# Asylees and Refugees# Human Rights

In Defense of Palestinian and Muslim Refugees

The war between Hamas and Israel has prompted some American politicians to call for a ban on refugees from Gaza. Other politicos want to deport student protesters who express pro-Palestinian sentiments, or exclude Palestinians from the U.S. altogether.

I suppose that in a time of war, there’s an impulse to pick a side. Israel or Palestine. Muslim or Jew. Us or Them. And so in theory, I can understand why some leaders would want to punish those who appear to be supporting our adversaries. But as I see it, painting all Palestinians or all Muslims as Hamas supporters is counterproductive and harmful to our national interests, not to mention untrue.

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By Jason Dzubow