Andrew Steinberg of Brown University is the winner of the 2021 Bert & Phyllis Lamb Prize in Political Science. His winning paper, entitled “No Home for the Brave: Understanding America’s Veteran Deportation System,” discusses the complex legal system affecting the status of immigrant members and veterans of the U.S. military. The system, which has developed over several decades, prevents them from achieving citizenship, avoiding deportation, and accessing proper healthcare.

The Lamb Prize consists of a $1000 award, publication of the winning paper in June each year on lambprize.org, one-year membership in the Western Social Science Association (WSSA), a plaque, and travel expenses to attend the WSSA annual meeting, where the plaque is formally presented. In addition, the winner presents the paper at a roundtable panel at the WSSA meeting.  In 2021, the WSSA is holding a virtual conference, during which Mr. Steinberg will present his paper.

Every year, the Selection Committee is highly impressed by the innovation and good writing displayed by applicants for the Prize. Andrew Steinberg is no exception! His application is another example of first-rate undergraduate work. The Selection Committee commented that “This is a remarkable paper reflecting a genuinely ‘life altering’ experience studying the issue of deported veterans.  Few undergraduate students could be expected to take on such a study and accomplish the comprehensive data collection project required; fewer yet could be expected to carry it out so well and write about it so eloquently.”

Mr. Steinberg’s faculty sponsor (Dr. Dawn King) wrote that “I believe Andrew’s pairing of interviews and  participant observation with legal scholarship allows him to make a compelling and innovative argument for a multi-pronged approach to ending veteran deportations.”