Hurd Leads Effort to Reform Outdated Asylum Laws WASHINGTON, DC –Today U.S. Representative Will Hurd (TX-23) released a proposal to reform U.S. asylum laws and address the humanitarian crisis at the Southern border that is straining the resources of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies and overwhelming local communities. The Asylum Reform Act of 2019 would overhaul antiquated laws ill-equipped for addressing the current crisis. These needed reforms would halt the widespread abuse of our current system, streamline our existing processing of these individuals and, most importantly, ensure that our asylum system works for the people who need it most – those fleeing legitimate persecution in their home country. These are the highlights: The Asylum Reform Act of 2019 would make several important changes to U.S. asylum laws, including: Limiting eligibility for asylum to migrants who enter the U.S. at a port of entry, which would discourage illegal entry into the country and ensure Customs and Border Protection can process migrants in a controlled and orderly manner. Prohibiting migrants who are arriving from a contiguous country (i.e., Canada or Mexico) from seeking asylum unless they have already been denied asylum or a similar protection in that country, ensuring that migrants are seeking protection from our neighbors before entering our asylum process. This prohibition would not apply if migrants are seeking asylum because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution in Mexico or Canada. Codifying the administration’s credible fear standard used to screen migrants seeking asylum to ensure agents on the ground are evaluating the credibility of their statements when making their determination. Currently, 80% of migrants from the Northern Triangle pass their credible fear screening, but only 20% ultimately receive asylum. This change will help ensure that future administrations must take into account the credibility of the applicants. Removing existing obstacles that prevent DHS from removing asylum seekers to a safe third country. Deterring frivolous asylum claims by closing loopholes and defining what is considered a frivolous asylum filing. Extending the statute of limitations for fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents that may be used in asylum matters from 5 years after the date that the offense occurred, to 10 years. Given the current backlog of asylum claims, we are rarely able to prosecute these types of offenses. These are all good common sense reforms. Who could be opposed to this?
Why can't the US help facilitate asylum seekers to get into some other safe Third World country? Just to help make sure their migration is not actually motivated more by economic factors. Maybe even pay some country like Mexico or Brazil or Nigeria to take them. If they're muslims, find some other muslim country to take them. There are lots of muslim countries, surely there can't be wars going on in all of them. It would certainly avoid difficult cultural adjustments, and help avoid long-term conflict, since there tends to be less potential for conflict when the people in a society all share the same religion & values. (Particularly true in the case of Islam)
