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Making Policy Public

What is asylum?

Tens of thousands of migrants arrive to the United States each year seeking protection from persecution in their native country. The US government is obliged to offer asylum to those who can prove they need protecting, allowing refugees to start a new life in the US. However, not everyone who is eligible for asylum ends up receiving it. The asylum process is often dangerously misunderstood, and false information is commonly provided to asylum seekers, jeopardizing their chance to receive relief. How does the asylum process work? Who can asylum seekers turn to for help?

CUP teamed up with The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture and design studio Bardo Industries to create What is Asylum?, a trilingual fold-out poster in English, Spanish, and French. The illustrated poster guides asylum seekers— many of whom have limited English and literacy skills— step-by-step through the difficult process of receiving asylum, and provides information about other resources they can turn to for assistance.