Common wisdom suggests that the 9/11 terrorist attacks changed everything about the character of refugee law in the United States, and even in neighbouring Canada. But did they? And if so, how do the responses of the two countries, including heightened security and more pronounced security anxieties, compare in terms of refugee rights? Refugee Law after 9/11 undertakes a detailed, systematic examination of available legal, policy, and empirical evidence to reveal a great irony: refugee rights were already so whittled down in both countries before 9/11 that there was relatively little room for negative change after the attacks. It also shows that the Canadian refugee law regime reacted to 9/11 in much the same way as its US counterpart, raising significant questions about the power of security relativism and the cogency of the Canadian and US national self-image. Obiora Okafor explores the logic behind changes in refugee law in Canada and the United States following 9/11 and up to the present, uncovering the reasons for the orientation of their respective refugee rights regimes in specific ways.

Book Information
ISBN 9780774861465
Author Obiora Chinedu Okafor
Format Hardback
Page Count 300
Imprint University of British Columbia Press
Publisher University of British Columbia Press