Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Victoria Landu-Adams

Abstract

Detaining asylum seekers has become an established practice in many countries. There is a large body of research suggesting that immigration detention causes asylum seekers harm. However, the focus of these studies has been on diagnosable disorders and mental health, with no descriptive understanding of how detention and resettlement are experienced and conceptualized by asylum seekers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how formerly detained asylum seekers from sub-Saharan African countries perceive the impact of detention on their resettlement experience in the United States. Ager and Strang’s conceptual framework of refugee integration was used as the study’s conceptual framework. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 12 formerly detained asylum seekers from sub-Saharan African countries who were currently living in the Los Angeles, California, area, and were adults aged 18 or older. Thematic and content analysis of interview data yielded four themes: (a) generalizations about immigration detention, (b) challenges from detention experience during resettlement, (c) support relied on during resettlement, and (d) meaning of resettlement. The viewpoints of this underrepresented group may address the existing gap in the research. The findings of this study may also inform policy makers and administrators about the impact of detention on formerly detained asylum seekers’ resettlement process. Using the study findings, policy makers and administrators may be able to devise strategies to enhance positive social change through relationship-building among asylum-seeking stakeholders to increase asylum seekers’ integration success and quality of life.

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