Bridging the Policy Gap: A Critical Autoethnography of Asylum Accompaniment

Executive Summary

Unlike refugees, most asylum-seekers receive scant attention from US government and non-profit agencies. A loose network of individuals and organizations aims to bridge this gap in policy and services through the practice of asylum accompaniment. This article, by two scholar-activists with a combined 10 years of experience accompanying asylum-seekers, aims to:

• Explore the praxis of asylum accompaniment via critical autoethnography, using our accompaniment narratives to illuminate the dynamics of accompaniment relationships, including the profound mutual benefits of this type of engagement and the complexities of social and political power, privilege, and access

• Propose policy solutions that emerge from critical reflection on our experiences, including increased support for accompaniment networks

• Offer a practical tool, The ABCs of Asylum Accompaniment, as a resource for informed accompaniment of asylum-seekers