Well-Founded Fear

Philip G. Schrag is Professor of Law at Georgetown University. He has written numerous books, including Global Action: Nuclear Test Ban Diplomacy at the End ofthe Cold War (1992) and Civil Procedure (1990). His articles have appeared in the New York Times, BostonGlobe, and Washington Post.

"Schrag...captures the details of political maneuvering in congressional committees and on the floor. He goes behind the scenes to show how coalition-building practiced by public interest advocates succeeded in defeating some proposals favored by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich." -- Legal Times"A Well-Founded Fear casts a brilliant light on the real world of legislation in the United States. This book would be my first choice for anybody seeking a serious understanding of how Congress works." -- Bruce Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale University"Philip Schrag was a central player defending refugee protections in the battle over the 1996 immigration law. What good fortune that he has now captured that experience in print. But A Well-Founded Fear delivers far more than an engaging historical account, especially in its wise insights on public interest lobbying and the personal choices that drive such efforts." -- David A. Martin, Doherty Professor of Law, University of Virginia Law School"...gives a definite account of the problem." -- F.H. Wu, Howard Univeristy"In A Well-Founded Fear, Professor Philip Schrag of the Georgetown Univeristy Law Center recounts the battles waged in the 104th Congress over the 1996 immigration law. Schrag, a public interest lobbyist during the skirmishing, captures the details of political maneuvering in congressional committees and on the floor. He goes behind the scenes to show how coaliation-building practiced by public interest advocates succeeded in defeating some proposals favored by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich and Republican allies and managed to change others. The result, says Schrag, is a law not as harsh as the chairmen of the immigration committees would have wanted." -- Legal Times

• Introduction, Prologue Part I: The Opening Salvo 1. From Plymouth Rock to Kennebunkport 2. Clinton’s Turn 3. Mr. Smith, Already in Washington 4. Mark-up Hell Part II: The Heat of Battle 5. Someone Else’s Problem 6. The Committee to Preserve Asylum 7. “What’s a Senator?” 8. The House 9. The Senate 10. The Conference 11. The President Part III: Parting Shots 12. The Regulations 13. The Deeper Levels of the Law 14. The Wave 15. Public Interest Advocacy in Congress, Epilogue