Research Assessment #6

Date: October 25, 2019

Subject: Immigration Law

MLA Citation:

Nezer, Melanie. “The Fundamental Right to Seek Asylum.” TED, 2019,

www.ted.com/talks/melanie_nezer_the_fundamental_right_to_seek_asylum.

Analysis:

I have always used the news to learn more about what is going on in our world. It

was not until recently that I realized that the information news channels provide us, is not

as reliable as it is made out to be. For example, the political atmosphere surrounding

immigrants and asylum seekers has been deeply divided for many years. It has been

divided between those who want to help them and those who see them as burdens,

however, depending on the news site, they tend to lean towards one side of the debate.

Luckily, we have research and lawyers like Melanie Nezer, who has researched and found

the underlying issues and solutions that will benefit asylum seekers. Nezer goes into great

detail in her Ted Talk about issues with the government's care of asylum seekers and the

general information about them, as well. She explains that most asylum seekers come from

either Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador because of the extreme violence people face in

those countries. Although most of them come with only the clothes on their backs, the

United States has slowly been refusing to grant asylum. According to Nezer, from 2016 to

now, the number of refugees helped has gone from 15,000 people to only 62 people. The

statistics she provided were astonishing. I would have never realized the numbers of
refugees could ever drop that significantly, not to mention how and where they come from.

Furthermore, I was very surprised to learn about refugees in a new way from Nezer. She

has changed and challenged the previous perspectives I had on this issue which has caused

me to examine how it will and can affect me.

The knowledge presented to me by Nezer, is very important in not only my ISM

journey but my journey as a lawyer in the future, as well. The crisis we are currently facing,

concerning immigrants, has greatly impacted the world of immigration lawyers, all

together. The massive decline in refugees that are granted asylum, has sparked massive

debates which have also led to the implementation of new laws and movement. Not to

mention, that the current situation has also brought in a large market to immigration

lawyers who specialize in refugee and asylum law. Overall, by understanding the current

situation the United States is in, we as a community can be more intuitive and empathetic

towards the situation. I think it is important for me to understand this situation because it

will allow me to examine the situation differently. Instead of seeing everything through

what my peers think, I can establish where I stand on the situation, and how to act on it.

With a new perspective on the issue described in the Ted Talk, I will be able to

utilize my newfound wisdom in conversational topics with my mentor, as well as a

probable specialization idea in the future. With the numerous amounts of factual evidence

presented to me, I will be able to address that topic with my mentor. We can find

theoretical ways to help the current situation and analyze the circumstances and the effects

of this problem on our population's future. By discussing this topic, it will allow us to have

a more profound conversation over an issue that could have a prominent effect on our

future. Moreover, the issue of granting asylum and the hardships refugees face has
presented me with a new possible specialization topic. According to my past interviews

and research, it has been stated numerous times that specializing is the most crucial thing

to do after graduating from law school. Refugee and asylum law is a big part of immigration

law, that brings in quite a bit of business. By learning about this topic, I can think further

into the future about the possibilities of specializing.