Abandoned by Congress, Trump admin announces new policy to crack down on asylum seekers

(File photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

With the U.S. Congress effectively leaving President Trump on his own to handle an overwhelming crisis on the southern border that threatens to break the system, the White House has announced a major crackdown on asylum seekers.

Tens of thousands of Central America migrants show up monthly on our southern border, many of them women and children. The brazenly enter the U.S. illegally, only to surrender to Border Control and request asylum — that they often repeat the same reasoning suggests the migrants are being coached on how to take advantage of our archaic immigration laws.

Even though the overwhelming majority will not qualify for asylum, those same laws require that they be released within the country, often never to be heard from again.

The new rule announced by the administration will require most migrants entering the U.S. through the southern border to first seek asylum in one of the countries they traversed on their journey to America, be it Mexico, or another Central American country, Fox News reported.

If that application is denied, most would then be able to seek asylum in the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan explained the rule change in a statement.

“While the recent supplemental funding was absolutely vital to helping confront the crisis,” McAleenan said, according to Fox News, “the truth is that it will not be enough without targeted changes to the legal framework of our immigration system.”

“Ultimately, today’s action will reduce the overwhelming burdens on our domestic system caused by asylum-seekers failing to seek urgent protection in the first available country, economic migrants lacking a legitimate fear of persecution, and the transnational criminal organizations, traffickers, and smugglers exploiting our system for profits.”

The new policy is similar to what is known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, where the administration often told migrant to “remain in Mexico” to await hearings. It’s all but guaranteed open border groups on the left will immediately challenge the move in court.

The crack down is for those coming to the U.S. more for economic reasons than those escaping persecution in their home countries, and has the blessing of Attorney General William Barr.

“This Rule is a lawful exercise of authority provided by Congress to restrict eligibility for asylum,” Barr said in a statement. “The United States is a generous country but is being completely overwhelmed by the burdens associated with apprehending and processing hundreds of thousands of aliens along the southern border.

“This Rule will decrease forum shopping by economic migrants and those who seek to exploit our asylum system to obtain entry to the United States — while ensuring that no one is removed from the United States who is more likely than not to be tortured or persecuted on account of a protected ground.”

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