President Donald Trump is working to stop the flow of Central American migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
What We Know:
- The majority of asylum seekers at this border come from Central America, Mexico, and occasionally Guatemala. Officials in the administration are saying the incoming migrants are pushing the nation’s border security infrastructure beyond capacity.
- A new rule, made by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, is set to take effect in the Federal Register on Tuesday immediately. Information about the rule was published online on Monday and stated that migrants who pass through another country must first seek asylum there rather than at the U.S. border (where they will be found ineligible).
- The immigration-rights groups, including “Kids in Need of Defense” and “Americas for Amnesty International”, have already pledged to fight the new rule in court, arguing it is inconsistent with another portion of the same statute. That section of the statute generally allows people to request asylum when they arrive at the U.S., with some exceptions, including those coming through a country deemed “safe.”
- The U.S. currently has only one such pact, (a safe-third-country agreement) with Canada. “The Trump administration is trying to unilaterally reverse our country’s legal and moral commitment to protect those fleeing danger…This new rule is patently unlawful and we will sue” Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the immigrants’ rights program at the American Civil Liberties Union stated.
- “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” Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, stated.
This is going to be a major change for those wanting to find safety in America.
