Sessions says Congress must tighten asylum rules

Attorney General Jeff Sessions urged Congress to pass legislation President Trump outlined this week that would make it harder for immigrants to claim asylum in the USA, a process he said is widely abused.

In a speech Thursday to Justice Department lawyers, Sessions suggested loopholes created by the Obama administration are unlawfully used by immigration lawyers, a problem that only Congress can fix through legislation.

Sessions said lawyers for undocumented immigrants who face deportation use a “credible fear” provision of the law to claim the immigrants have reason to fear for their life if they are sent back to their home country.

Immigration attorneys encourage clients to use “magic words” to trigger that process, Sessions said.

“Over the years, smart attorneys have exploited loopholes in the law, court rulings and lack of resources to substantially undermine the intent of Congress,” Sessions said.

He noted a New York lawsuit from 2014 that resulted in charges against 30 defendants and eight attorneys for their alleged participation in immigration fraud schemes.

He said lawyers taking advantage of the loopholes have created a surge of legal proceedings trying to justify claims. The Justice Department and the courts do not have enough resources to respond to those claims, leaving deportation proceedings in limbo.

Eleanor Acer at Human Rights First called Sessions’ speech an addition to an effort to paint asylum seekers as frauds and threats. “It’s part of a broad policy of the admin to slam the door on them ... and punish those who do try and seek protection,” Acer said.