The Savannah Council on World Affairs is excited to announce its next program on Thursday, November 16, at 7:30pm (social time begins at 7:00pm). Skidway Community Church. 50 Diamond Causeway (Skidaway Island). 

Dr. Susan Terrio, Professor Emerita, Department of Anthropology, Georgetown University will present: "International Migration and the Challenges of Seeking Asylum in the U.S."

An alarming milestone was reached in 2022 with the news that 100 million individuals were displaced globally. Here in the United States, in 2021, approximately 17,700 people received asylum based on a well-founded fear of persecution in their home countries. That was the lowest number of asylum petitions granted since 1994. Yet, unprecedented numbers of people are seeking humanitarian protection and have put enormous strain on the entire U.S. immigration system. More than 1.3 million asylum applications were awaiting processing as of May 2023. In addition, a large number of the recent arrivals at the U.S-Mexico border intend to pursue asylum in a system burdened by staff shortages, inadequate resources, massive backlogs, due process lapses, shifting policy mandates, and wildly different outcomes. Drawing on research in immigration courts and detention centers as well as interviews with asylum seekers, judges, attorneys, and NGOs, Dr. Terrio considers the short- and long-term challenges in gaining asylum protection.