As an American, can I go vacation in Europe and then toss my documents and claim I'm seeking asylum with a succesful outcome of being granted permanent residency and the ability to work?
As an American, you'd be far, far, far, far, far, far more likely to succeed in migrating by following one of the European countries' legal migration paths (each country has its own policies). Most European countries are very interested in allowing migration of skilled workers, and in several countries, being a fluent English speaker is a bonus.
On the other hand, it might be technically possible for you to meet one of these country's criteria for "refugee", "displaced person", "asylum seeker", etc. but it is _remarkably_ unlikely.
> The right to asylum is guaranteed by Article 18 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Article 19 prohibits collective expulsions and protects individuals from being removed, expelled or extradited to a state where there is a serious risk of death penalty, torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Also, you don't need to "toss [your] documents", I'm not sure why you think that's required to initiate an asylum process lol
Someone versed in EU law can chime in, but I imagine that being literally undocumented would only make the process harder (though it would be abundantly clear that you're an American anyways)
Indeed, they will need to check your story, and that's a whole lot easier when they know your identity (otherwise they have to verify your identity in other ways, which will certainly take more time...).
As an American, can I go vacation in Europe and then toss my documents and claim I'm seeking asylum with a succesful outcome of being granted permanent residency and the ability to work?