As noted previously, one of the conditions for seeking asylum in the U.S. is convincing immigration authorities that the applicant has a “credible fear” of persecution in his home country. For many migrants, this comes down to a case of how well they can act, while others are able to circumnavigate the process altogether thanks to “loopholes” that allow migrants, particularly unaccompanied minors and people traveling in family units, to be released from detention while their cases proceed through immigration court.
In the face of growing numbers of migrants seeking refuge in the U.S., the Trump administration proposed a policy that, if implemented, should reduce the number of fakers who arrive at the southern border in the hopes of finding work or gaming America’s system of entitlements.
The proposal is to charge a fee to those claiming to seek asylum and to limit the availability of work permits to “line jumpers.” Via The Daily Caller:
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In a memorandum delivered to Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan on Monday night, President Donald Trump asked to move forward with new asylum restrictions. The requests include imposing a fee for making an asylum request and barring people who tried entering the country illegally from getting a work permit until their case is adjudicated.
The directive also seeks to expedite the asylum process by requiring immigration courts to settle cases within 180 days.
“The purpose of this memorandum is to strengthen asylum procedures to safeguard our system against rampant abuse of our asylum process,” read a portion of the memo from Trump, who added that the “security and humanitarian crisis” at the U.S. southern border “undermines our nation’s security and sovereignty.”
The White House hasn’t specified the amount of the fee or said whether it will be refunded in the case of refugees who have fled real dangers in their nation of origin.
