More children than ever are crossing international borders alone to seek asylum worldwide. In the past decade, over a half million children have fled from Central America to the United States, seeking safety and a chance to continue lives halted by violence. Yet upon their arrival, they fail to find the protection that our laws promise, based on the broadly shared belief that children should be safeguarded. A meticulously researched ethnography, Precarious Protections chronicles the experiences and perspectives of Central American unaccompanied minors and their immigration attorneys as they pursue applications for refugee status in the US asylum process. Chiara Galli debunks assumptions about asylum, including the idea that people are being denied protection because they file bogus claims. In practice, the United States interprets asylum law far more narrowly than what is necessary to recognize real-world experiences of escape from life-threatening violence. This is especially true for children from Central America. Galli reveals the formidable challenges of lawyering with children and exposes the human toll of the US immigration bureaucracy.

"One of the most impressive ethnographic studies. . . .theoretically inspiring, methodologically rigorous, empirically rich, and politically significant. This brilliant book will be foundational to future studies of refugees and asylum seekers." - Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

"Precarious Protections expands our understanding of unaccompanied minors' migratory experiences, emphasizing the critical role of legal brokers in shaping these journeys. . . . The book stands as a testament to Galli's profound research and makes an invaluable contribution to the many fields of sociolegal study concerned with issues of asylum and the vulnerabilities of young people." - Law & Society Review