Well-Founded Fear

Lives in the balance - the delicate struggle to obtain a future in America
On average, maybe one in two hundred applicants are ever admitted to the United States as a refugee. The official definition of a refugee is someone who is afraid to go home for fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion. Any foreigner who finds a way into the United States may apply for refugee protection in the form of political asylum and these requests are handled by the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS). When an asylum officer is unable to make a solid decision to grant refugee status to someone, the case is then referred to an immigration judge for final disposition. About 1 in 5 cases is ever reversed in appeal.

A significant portion of this program focuses on duties of asylum officers and for good reason. They are saddled with the tremendous responsibility of deciding what might be the fate of many people's lives. Interviews with them reveal many challenges they face such as determining honesty and...

A great documentary... 4.5 stars
One measure of the emotional wallop that this documentary packs is the fact that at times, I found myself screaming at the television screen, pleading with the INS official hearing the case of a refugee claimant, to realize that the applicant was being poorly served by their translator or just paralyzed with fear. It also forces the viewer to question your own prejudices; I am just as scornful as the INS interviewer when a Romanian woman claiming asylum because of persecution as an Anglican can't name the Archbishop of Canterbury when asked for the name of the church's global leader; instead identifying a Bishop of Gibraltar. (The end notes after the film tell us that indeed, the head of the Anglican church for Ana Maria's region is indeed the bishop of Gibraltar; possibly she had misunderstood the question -- one wonders how often such petty misunderstandings produce tragic outcomes.)

But the film does far more than tug at our heartstrings. For a nation of immigrants (some...

Fascinating and Still Relevant
Although this documentary was filmed over a decade ago, it still feels relevant and current. Highly recommended for people interested in immigration and refugee issues. Particularly well-suited for discussion groups, college or law school classes, or immigrant intake/interview training.

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