Follow-up Ana: 

Soon after I published my first book on the history of Mexican migration, I found myself inundated with requests to provide expert witness reports for asylum cases. These reports are intended to provide courts with a deep dive into the social, political, and human rights environment of the asylum seeker's home country, so that they can make an informed decision when adjudicating cases. For someone fleeing persecution, a country conditions report explains why their fear of returning is justified. It might detail government repression, the violence inflicted on vulnerable groups like ethnic minorities or LGBTQ+ individuals, or the state’s inability—or unwillingness—to protect certain citizens. By pulling together information from human rights organizations, NGOs, academic research, and first-hand accounts, these reports serve as critical evidence in court, helping judges and immigration officials see the bigger picture.

As the number of requests I received for these reports grew, it became clear I couldn’t keep up with the demand alone. The issues at hand were too complex, spanning multiple regions, each with its own intricate web of political and social dynamics. I needed a more systematic approach to provide accurate and timely reports. That’s when the idea struck: I would create Stanford’s Migration and Asylum Lab.

The Lab is designed as a collaborative space where scholars from various disciplines and multiple institutions work together to study the conditions in asylum seekers’ countries of origin, provide in-depth reports for individual cases, and testify in court expert witnesses. Together, we inform immigration courts about the specific risks faced by individuals fleeing persecution—whether it was political dissidents facing imprisonment, women subject to gender-based violence, or entire communities targeted because of their ethnicity or religion.

As of today, the Lab has won every case in which it has worked on. This is not surprising. After all, it is composed of a group of scholars that is highly trusted by courts: they all have decades of experience in their field and are widely recognized for their work, which includes peer-reviewed books published by university presses and articles in the top academic journals. Moreover, the Lab is clear that scholars’ role as expert witnesses is not to act as advocates, but rather to conduct impartial analysis of country conditions based on a wide range of sources, including academic scholarship, government and non-government reports, and media reporting from inside the country and the international press.

I am happy to inform that many of you who came to Mexico are considering participate in the project. In fact, April Aleman just became the Lab’s new coordinator. If anyone else is interested in joining our team, please let me know. There are multiple ways to participate.