Trump changing rules on asylum
The Trump administration on Monday unveiled new asylum rules to take effect Tuesday, drastically limiting the eligibility of Central American migrants to seek relief at the US-Mexico border.
Asylum-seekers making the journey to the United States now first have to apply for safety in another country on their route, such as Mexico.
If migrants don’t apply for protection from a third country, they won’t be eligible for asylum when they attempt to cross into the US, under a new measure announced by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.
The clampdown is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to stem the huge flow of migrants seeking relief in the United States.
The rush at the border has led to overcrowded, harmful and unsanitary conditions at strained detention facilities, according to Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general as well as news reports.
Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said the interim measure should reduce the “pull” factor for migrants to make the dangerous journey to the US until Congress acts to change asylum rules permanently.
“Ultimately, today’s action will reduce the overwhelming burdens on our domestic system caused by asylum-seekers failing to seek urgent protection in the f irst available country, economic migrants lacking a legitimate fear of persecution, and the transnational criminal organizations, traffickers, and smugglers exploiting our system for profits,” McAleenan said in a statement.
The rule, which likely will face legal challenges, would dramatically decrease the number of people from migrant caravans eligible for asylum when they reach the US.
It forces those fleeing from dangerous conditions to first seek refuge in the first available country they enter after leaving their home.
Only a small percentage of the current asylum-seekers is ultimately granted legal protection in the US.
But many migrants currently stay in the US until their case is adjudicated.
The asylum rule has three exceptions: for migrants who were denied asylum in a third country, for those who are victims of human trafficking and for those who didn’t reach the US by traveling through a country that has signed on to a treaty for refugee protections.