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WASHINGTON / NEW YORK (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump on Monday urged the authorities to tighten rules on asylum seekers, including setting fees for their claims and banning those who enter the country illegally. to work until their requests are approved.
PHOTO FILE: A migrant belonging to a caravan of thousands of people from Central America en route to the United States tries to watch American patrol boats through a hole in the wall located between the United States. United States and Mexico in Tijuana, Mexico, November 25, 2018. REUTERS / Lucy Nicholson / Photo File
The Trump government recently worked to stem the growing number of migrants crossing the US border, many of whom later applied for asylum in the United States. Many of these changes would radically change the treatment of asylum seekers, but they would also require tedious regulatory procedures before they come into force, which could take several months.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly criticized US laws protecting asylum seekers from encouraging fraudulent or undeserving applications.
But immigrant advocates say the Trump administration's efforts to limit asylum protection are hurting people who are legitimately seeking refuge from violence and persecution.
On Monday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum enjoining the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to introduce within a 90-day period a series of new regulations tightening asylum policy, including setting fees for asylum applications, which are currently free.
Even a small amount could be insurmountable for many refugee claimants, said Victoria Neilson, a former head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service, a government agency that accepts refugee claims.
"The majority of people seeking asylum in the United States arrive with little more than shirts on their backs," she said.
Another regulation that Trump ordered his officials to prepare would ensure that refugee claims are settled in an immigration court within six months.
US law already orders the Department of Justice to settle asylum claims within six months, but with a backlog of more than 800,000 cases, asylum applications often take years to complete. finish.
"The 180-day disposition of cases has been in existence for more than two decades," said Ashley Tabaddor, President of the Immigration Judges Union. "The problem is that we have never had adequate resources to process these requests in a timely manner."
Asylum cases are often complex and lead to trauma, and judges should have the discretion to give more time depending on the case, Tabaddor said.
Trump also ordered officials to take measures to prevent asylum seekers illegally entered the country from obtaining a work permit while processing their application. Currently, asylum seekers who enter legally or illegally are allowed to work while their applications are processed by the courts.
US Customs and Border Protection officials met about 100,000 people at the US-Mexico border in March, their highest level in more than a decade. According to officials, the resources are at the limit.
Under US law, asylum seekers fearing a credible return may seek review in immigration courts. The vast majority of asylum seekers eventually lose their case, but can live and work in the United States for the months or years required to process their claim.
Monday's memorandum is only Trump's latest attempt to reduce asylum protections. Other political decisions have been challenged in federal courts.
Report by Yeganeh Torbati and Mica Rosenberg, additional report by Kristina Cooke; Edited by Bill Rigby and Lisa Shumaker
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