The Trump Administration Is Making It More Difficult For Migrants To Apply For Asylum

By Lauren Rearick


On Monday, June 15, the United States Departments of Justice and Homeland Security unveiled a suggested ruling that should make the asylum claims process much more hard for migrants coming into the U.S. — And the American Civil Liberties intends to sue President Donald Trump to stop it from going into effect.


People seek asylum as a way to increase residency in a new nation whenever the nation they are leaving is unlivable or dangerous, USA Today reported. Under this offered “third country” rule, which CNN reported would potentially take effect any time today, a person who traveled through 1/3 nation on their way to seek asylum in the U.S. Could be required to first seek asylum in the previous nation they went through, NPR reported. For instance, immigrants traveling on foot to the U.S. From countries in Central and South America, like Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, first travel through Mexico; under this ruling, they would then have to seek asylum in Mexico before coming to the U.S., According to NBC News.


Only three exceptions to the Trump administration's offered ruling were reported, NPR reported. Those who'd experienced torture or persecution and were denied asylum in another nation could still apply in the U.S., As could victims of trafficking, and those who'd entered the U.S. Through a nation that hasn’t committed to the United Nations’s “1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol, or the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.” These countries include India, Libya, Mongolia, and others.


Under current asylum law, anyone is permitted to come to the U.S. Border and go by way the method of seeking asylum, PBS reports; other countries a person has traveled through don't currently factor into the decision, the Los Angeles Times notes.


In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the immigrants’ rights program at the American Civil Liberties Union, reported it intended to challenge the ruling. “This rule cannot be squared with the laws enacted by Congress,” Gelernt mentioned, adding the ruling would “effectively end asylum at the U.S. Southern border.” Gelernt mentioned the ACLU intended to “sue swiftly.”


Since taking office, President Trump has regularly targeted migrants with racist and dangerous legislation. He passed a now-defunct “zero-tolerance” immigration policy that prosecuted anyone who tried to cross the U.S. Border without prior documentation. Due to the law, nearly 3,000 families were separated, several of whom were placed in cages. Only right after continued public outcry, Trump rescinded the forced family member separation portion of his policy, although he has still has continued to spread misinformation involving conditions at the border. In a May memo, he had reportedly reported plans to charge asylum seekers for applications, while this past weekend, he offered additional ICE raids in at least 10 U.S. Cities.