Homeland Security is making it tougher for asylum seekers to prove 'credible fear,' the first hurdle in the lengthy process of gaining U.S. protection.
A group of Brazilian migrants take their seats in a U.S. Border Patrol van after crossing the border from Mexico.
In a separate email, he reminded officers to focus on inconsistencies in asylum seekers’ claims when weighing their credibility, instructing them to be more adversarial in the initial interviews. At campaign rallies and at the White House, President Trump often questions asylum seekers’ credibility, claiming that they’re engaging in a “hoax” or “big, fat con job.” He has lamented that Border Patrol and military personnel are restricted from getting “rough” with migrants.to deter migrants, and asked, “How do you stop these people?”
Most asylum applicants pass their initial credible fear screenings, but only about 20% ultimately win protection and the right to remain in the United States, according to the Justice Department. That final decision can take years, with a ballooning backlog of nearlyand an average wait time of 736 days, according to a Syracuse University database, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
“A person who is seeking asylum is likely to be somebody who has experienced a whole series of traumas,” Rodriguez said. “And to have a uniformed law enforcement officer being the one to conduct their credible fear interviews strikes me as calculated to suppress valid claims of asylum.”
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