America is famous for priding itself as a nation of immigrants, but the often shabby and sometimes downright abusive treatment that immigrants seeking asylum suffer in our nation’s immigration court system is a well-kept secret. The truth is that our government fails to hire prosecuting attorneys and appoint judges with expertise in the field or even adequately train them in the law and procedure. But this failure pales in comparison to the even greater scandal that the immigrants herded into these courts are often treated with disdain, disrespect, or even outright contempt by sworn officers of the law. The often needless, lengthy and costly pre-trial detention of individuals who usually do not represent any danger to the community is an everyday and shameful fact of life in our immigration system. Judge Grussendorf’s book views the dilemma posed by the nation’s dysfunctional immigration court system with sober compassion. He offers solutions both for immigration reform and reform of the courts; proposes a drastic overhaul of the country’s asylum system; and includes proposals for reform of legal education in America.