5 complex political and geographical factors Introduction that Every year, millions of people move to escape conflict and persecution, reunite with their families, and find better opportunities. Regardless of what brings them to a new country, migrants contribute skills, perspectives, and cultural richness to their communities. transcend national boundaries. Combating this troubling response to migration requires a transnational perspective and collaboration with affected communities. To this end, the Immigrants’ Rights Policy Clinic, part of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law, joined with Equal Rights Beyond Borders, a European human rights And yet, the world has seen a rising tide of organization operating in Greece and stringent Germany, policies to diminish to analyze immigration humanitarian protections and restrict detention in the United States (U.S.) and freedom of movement. Many countries the European Union (EU). have militarized their borders and blocked This report combines research into the legal access to their systems for granting asylum and other forms of protection. As part of this trend, governments’ growing reliance on detention to manage migration is especially troubling. detention leads to serious violations of human dignity and rights enshrined in international, regional, and national laws. People are detained simply for moving across borders, even when they do so in an urgent search for protection. Even those not formally detained still face restrictions resemble formal detention. Established principles in international law and in many national legal frameworks purport to safeguard migrants’ rights. But government employees agencies often to immigration detention—particularly the detention of asylum seekers—with first-hand accounts from people detained in both settings. Regardless of where it occurs, immigration that principles, policies, and practices pertinent and The choice to focus on the U.S. and the EU reflects position as leading destinations for migrants. The U.S. and the EU also enjoy reputations as places of refuge that offer protection and respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Their settings are different enough that the comparison is illuminating, but similar enough that lessons from one may apply to the other despite differences in legal systems and political constraints. individual circumvent their those principles with little accountability or oversight. The use of immigration detention reflects Immigration Detention Across Borders Detention of Asylum Seekers in the United States and the European Union