Asylum for Sale: Profit and Protest in the Migration Industry

by Siobhán McGuirk (Editor), Adrienne Pine (Editor)

Through essays, artworks, photographs, infographics, and illustrations, Asylum for Sale: Profit and Protest in the Migration Industry regards the global asylum regime as an industry characterized by profit-making activity. It offers a fresh and wholly original perspective by challenging readers to move beyond questions of legal, moral, and humanitarian obligations that dominate popular debates regarding asylum seekers. In highlighting protest as well as profit, Asylum for Sale strikes a crucial balance of critical analyses and proposed solutions for resisting and reshaping current and emerging immigration norms.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

320 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2020

Reviews

[Natalie Lerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this book enough. This is a really powerful and critical look at the migration industry and the many ways that states and corporate interests intersect to enact violence on people who are (im)migrating. It also does a good job of critically exploring the role of NGOs/nonprofits (though honestly I would have liked even more of that, as I am always interested in thinking critically about "helping" jobs wrt the immigration legal system) and I learned a lot about the asylum and refugee processes around the world.

[Luz Guerrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

A totally different point of view about immigration

[Phoebe Ferris-Rotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastically curated collection of essays, artwork, photography and illustration, which comes at the migration industry from all perspectives. From personal refugee stories and accounts of lawyers and NGOs to delving into the military industrial complex, a comprehensive picture emerges of the global asylum industry in which asylum seekers are treated as commodities and political leverage. It is informative, heart breaking, rousing and most importantly, accessible for all. Can't recommend enough!

[Shadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some essays in this book are incredibly strong—some might even bring you to tears—while others feel less compelling, as they approach a complex issue from only one perspective. A few essays were particularly eye-opening, introducing me to issues I had never considered before. However, I would have appreciated an introduction explaining how the immigration systems work in the various countries discussed. The book covers multiple nations, each with different laws and policies, but without that context, it was sometimes difficult to fully grasp the nuances of the arguments.

[Karina Muñiz-Pagán · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s impossible to not see the world differently after reading Asylum for Sale, Profit and Protest in the Migration Industry. The editors have woven together a collection of personal essays, first-hand accounts, graphic design, journalism, extensive academic research and interviews to understand this global profit making system. Predatory capitalism is fueled by the bodies and lives of people being forced to flee their homeland. The premise of the work curated here in this anthology shifts the lens from the dominant discussion of a state’s moral obligation with regard to asylum cases and refugees. And instead, we come to understand the capital forces that create refugees in the first place, and how the systems and institutions built to address forced migration are too often places of profit extraction. The five sections detailed in this book take the reader on a journey in understanding asylum from a global perspective that spans across nations and within nations with internal displacement. The writers discuss attempted pathways toward asylum, the costs and experiences of travel across borders, waiting in limbo and the profits made from detention camps, the complexities of the industries, the role of nonprofits and NGOs to what happens next after the long and arduous road; from survival strategies to mass deportations. A must read for anyone who cares about human rights, migration and how to resist the global profit making industry of asylum.

[Amie Ferris-Rotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fabulous book surprised me. I was expecting a purely academic tome, but "Asylum for Sale" is a book designed to be read and enjoyed by all. Inside, you will find essays, NGO reports, award-winning cartoons and stunning photography by Joel van Houdt, who travelled the globe documenting Afghan migrants as they sought new lives abroad. There is a chilling journey into Israel's illicit organ trade, a startling essay by Marzena Zukowska on the business of asylum in the United States and the hypocrisy of Australia's deeply inhumane asylum system comes roaring to life (and it's not pretty). Siobhan McGuirk and Adrienne Pine have put together an informative and nuanced look that should be read by anyone remotely interested in what it means to be a person today on this planet.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be a must-read for all those who work or seek to work on immigration issues, from politicians, immigration attorneys, and NGO members, to CBP officers, guards, and administrators of immigration detention centers. But overall, this book is a fundamental tool for anyone who wants to transform this world. Asylum for Sale, comprehensively dissects the multibillion-dollar immigration industry, investigating the root causes and symptoms of the immigration-industrial complex. But the book does not stop there, as it also offers concrete proposals to dismantle the migration system - currently based on criminalization and profit - that operates today on the planet. Highly recommended!

[Marzena Zukowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly timely read for anyone interested in current US politics, the aftermath of Europe’s refugee crisis, and Australia’s push towards offshore detention. Asylum for Sale's diversity of authors - from academics and activists to artists and those impacted by asylum - is what gives it its strength and uniqueness as an anthology. Not to mention the mix of mediums: photo essays, graphic novel, journalistic writing, etc. Kudos to editors Siobhán McGuirk and Adrienne Pine for embarking on this much needed project that contributes so much to current debate on immigration.

[Bettina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of essays on the many instances of money making by white and/or powerful and/or corporations, on the backs of people desperate enough to seek safety and asylum. - often from situations which are the direct consequence of actions by those same white, powerful corporations or states.
The reader might despair of humanity a bit more, after reading this book.

[Kara Aragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book to make you hate how this world operates even more! ... No matter how bad you think the process may be for those seeking asylum all arnd the world - it is sooooo much worse! And EVERYTHING in this world that is shit is shit because of caste systems / imperialism / capitalism. Protest. Vote. Never shut up. Demand change!!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't have much about the migration industry in the US, and that's a good thing. It's easy to open up (the website for) just about any newspaper in the US and read about what's happening here. It's rare that one gets a glimpse into other, just as fucked up, countries.

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What does it mean for a person to be seen as a commodity? For a whole category of people to be treated as objects for profit?"

[Mills College Library]

342.083 A861 2020