The Waiting Game

Based on the real case files of five asylum seekers from five countries and interviews with the medical and legal professionals who evaluate and represent them, The Waiting Game is an experimental news game that lets you walk in the shoes of an asylum seeker, from the moment they choose to come to the United States to the final decision in the cases before an immigration judge.

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Based on the real case files of five asylum seekers from five countries and interviews with the medical and legal professionals who evaluate and represent them, The Waiting Game is an experimental news game that lets you walk in the shoes of an asylum seeker, from the moment they choose to come to the United States to the final decision in the cases before an immigration judge. The five stories represent the five criteria for refugee status defined under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which requires member states not to deport people fleeing persecution based on "race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion." Judicial decisions are so inconsistent across the country, success in complicated cases can come down to geography and luck -- in New York City only 17 percent of asylum cases are denied in immigration court; in Atlanta, 94 percent are. The game was created by ProPublica, Playmatics and WNYC.