Desperately Seeking Asylum: Testimonies of Trauma, Courage, and Love

by Helen T. Boursier

Overview

Told through heart-wrenching testimonies, photographs, and artwork created by refugees fleeing their homelands, author Helen Boursier documents the harsh realities of families who are Desperately Seeking Asylum at the U.S.-Mexican border.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538128336
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/19/2019
Pages:	236
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Rev. Dr. Helen T. Boursier is a public theologian, educator, author, activist, ordained minister, and artist. “Pastora Helena” has been a volunteer chaplain with refugee families both inside and outside family detention since 2014. She authored The Ethics of Hospitality: An Interfaith Response to U.S. Immigration Policies.

Table of Contents

Acronyms Acknowledgments Introduction: Setting the Context for the Conversation Part I: Testimonies of Trauma, Courage, and Love: Meet the People Seeking Asylum 1 Desperately Seeking Asylum: Why the Families Flee Their Homelands 2 Fleeing for Their Lives: The Dangerous Overland Journey 3 The Harsh Reality: “Welcome” to the United States Part II: U.S. Immigration Policies and Practices 4 The Messy Immigration Matrix 5 National Leadership Shapes U.S. Immigration Policies and Practices 6 Reality Check: Blatant Violations against Asylum Seekers at the Southern Border 7 Credible Fear for Asylum 8 The Scarcity Mentality and the Language of Injustice at the Border Part III: Hope for a New Vision: Alternative Options and Practical Actions 9 The Bigger Picture: Embracing Refugees as Neighbors 10 Moving toward Responsible Response 11 Making the Political Personal: Three Examples 12 Help and Hope for Migrants: Humanitarian Aid on Both Sides of the Border 13 Public Witness and Civic Engagement 14 Resources for Education and Action Notes Works Cited Index

Editorial Reviews

Bousier presents the human reality as part of the immigration crisis in the United States. Through personal encounters with families seeking asylum and thorough research, she outlines what she believes to be some of the root causes of migration and the many challenges families face during their journeys to the U.S.

Norma Pimentel

Rev. Dr. Boursier puts her soul on the line as she gives voice to the stories no one knows from vulnerable women and children lost among us in plain sight. This important work reminds us that change comes when we open minds and lead with our hearts.

Hope Frye

Desperately Seeking Asylum is a hyper-timely book. Boursier offers an indispensable primer for spiritual and ethical discernment on the deepest theological challenges that global migration presents. It is informative, accessible, experiential, and practically empowering for action—be it prayers, works of mercy and justice, or advocacy. It will be stimulating reading for the general public or communities of faith as well as for students in colleges and seminaries.

Kristine Suna-Koro

Desperately Seeking Asylum comes from [Boursier’s] experience with thousands of immigrants. It is a thorough examination of the situation along the U.S.-Mexico border from 2014 to 2019. Though some policies have changed since then, the content still holds relevance for ongoing efforts to address immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border. .. Boursier calls readers to be involved personally in seeking justice for immigrants and those seeking asylum. She points to the many ways to engage in hospitality, love of neighbor and solidarity for, toward and with men, women and children not all that unlike us.

Baptist Standard

Centered on the narratives of those most impacted, Desperately Seeking Asylum expertly weaves the experiences of immigrants and refugees with a comprehensive exploration of our current immigration system to reveal how and why it is so difficult to seek refuge in the United States. Through insightful research and extensive fieldwork, Rev. Dr. Boursier challenges the narrative that migrants are dangerous or powerless, while also offering hope for an alternate reality of hospitality through practical welcoming actions and advocacy.

Jennie Belle