Asylum and refuge policies during the pandemic

Trump’s government decided to ban asylum and refuge applications during the massive outbreak of Coronavirus in the US.

This means that no immigrant can enter the country to request political asylum or refuge. Immigrants who currently reach the borders are deported almost immediately, normally to Central America.

The current administration explained that there are several main reasons for this decision:

• Due to the fact that immigrants who arrive at the borders without legal documentation are taken to immigration detention centers around the country, prohibiting the entry of new immigrants lowers the risk of massive contagion in these centers that are normally overcrowded.
• The offices of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) remain closed at least until June, 2020, due to the health crisis. Thus, the government argues that banning asylum and refuge claims prevents a backlog of work for federal employees and long waiting periods for applicants.
• According to the current government, prohibiting the application for asylum and refuge also prevents a massive spread of COVID-19 in the North American territories.
• The government also wants to prevent saturation and collapse of the health system.
• President Trump argues that public benefits should be used by legal citizens during the current juncture. Normally, asylum or refuge applicants do not have health insurance and therefore use essential resources for the local population.

Thousands of immigrant rights advocates have complained about this measure, calling it “arbitrary and against the Political Constitution of the United States.”

Despite protests from advocates communities, the government has not paid attention to the need to offer asylum and refuge for immigrants.

However, several lawmakers around the country came together to make an official statement declaring their opposition to President Trump’s ban on asylum and refuge claims.

The official statement

The committee of lawmakers that joined the cause explicitly stated: “Protecting public health and protecting individuals from persecution or torture are not mutually exclusive – the United States must do both. As such, we are deeply concerned that the Administration appears to be using the COVID-19 outbreak as a pretext to expel asylum seekers in clear violation of its obligations under domestic and international law to protect individuals fleeing persecution or torture.”

They accuse President Trump of using the global pandemic as an excuse to reduce immigration in the US, which has been one of his main concerns since he took office in 2017.

Lawmakers remind the current administration that the country has a duty to protect the human rights of the most vulnerable and provide shelter for the neediest immigrants.

A hope for immigrants

This claim made by the lawmakers may open a new opportunity of change for the current government’s ideals of reducing immigration.

This measure will last as long as the threat to public health continues. However, the government cannot implement these measures indefinitely.

This means that thousands of asylum and refuge applicants will be able to apply and try to start a new life in the US very soon.

We can help you with that!

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.