This process has been a joke for far too long. An immigrant seeking asylum could just disappear into the United States once they got here.
Mexico has now agreed to a new Trump administration policy which will keep asylum seekers there while we figure out whether or not they should be here.
David Rutz reports at the Washington Free Beacon:
Mexico Agrees to Trump Administration Policy Requiring Migrants Stay There While Asylum Claims ProceedThe Trump administration announced a new illegal immigration policy on Thursday, where migrants seeking asylum in the United States must return to Mexico while their claims are processed.Department of Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen cited emergency powers under the Immigration and Nationality Act as she revealed the new measures, according to the Washington Post. She told Congress that immigrants entering the country illegally or without proper documentation will go to Mexico “for the duration of their immigration proceedings” and called the policy “historic:”
From the Washington Post:
Trump administration reaches deal that will force asylum seekers to wait in Mexico as cases are processed, DHS’s Nielsen saysThe new policy will apply to migrants who request humanitarian protections at U.S. border crossings, as well as those who enter the country illegally, DHS officials said. Citing emergency powers allowed under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Nielsen said the measures were needed to “bring under control” a surge of unmerited asylum claims by Central Americans that led to a backlog in U.S. immigration courts of more than 750,000 cases.“Aliens trying to game the system to get into our country illegally will no longer be able to disappear into the United States, where many skip their court dates,” Nielsen said in a statement. “Instead, they will wait for an immigration court decision while they are in Mexico.”“Catch and release will be replaced with ‘catch and return’,” she said, using President Trump’s disparaging term for current procedures, which typically allow those whose fears are determined to be credible to be released from custody while they await a distant court date. DHS officials liken that arrangement to a “loophole” that is bringing record numbers of migrant families to the border and overwhelming U.S. agents.
This is all unfolding against the backdrop of the fight between Trump and Congress over funding for the wall:
Here’s the video of DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announcing the new policy:
Featured image via YouTube.
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