What is the human toll of the U.S. immigration bureaucracy? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Chiara Galli, a sociologist at the University of Chicago. Her latest book, “Precarious Protections,” chronicles the experiences and perspectives of Central American unaccompanied minors and their immigration attorneys as they navigate the asylum process and pursue refugee status in the United States. Spanning six years of research between the Obama and Trump administrations, her ethnographic research examines the paradoxical and precarious criteria that decide who is deserving and whom we should protect—and how U.S. asylum laws fail to protect children escaping life-threatening violence. We talk about her work, how recent immigration changes are impacting unaccompanied minors, and how Chicago will grapple with an unanticipated migration influx.
Learn more about “Precarious Protections:” https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520391918/precarious-protections
This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at
www.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the transcript here:
https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastPodcast Production Credits:
Interviewing: Natalie Reyes, Gabriela Rivera, and Reema Saleh
Editing: Ricardo Sande
Production: Reema Saleh