Current policies for political asylum in the US

The US is known for protecting human rights and offering support to vulnerable communities and to people who need it the most.

This country is the destination of thousands of immigrants seeking international protection because they are trying to flee from the danger, threat, violence or persecution.

However, since President Trump took office in 2017, the process to apply for political asylum has been substantially modified and the restrictions have also increased.

The current administration of the US declares that immigration can negatively affect the country, saturating the economic system and depleting essential resources.

As a result, asylum seekers are going through a difficult time nowadays. In addition to that, the arrival of the global Coronavirus pandemic in the North American territory aggravated the situation for them and lengthened waiting times.

One of the policies recently implemented by the Trump government (in January 2019) is the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico”.

This program requires asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while they receive a response to their immigration applications or until they have a hearing with a local judge.

Do you need to apply for political asylum? Feel free to contact Motion Law Immigration and receive reliable help for your current needs.

The MPP controversy

This policy has created a gigantic controversy in the US. Mainly because the conditions in which asylum seekers live in Mexico are not the best and threaten the integrity of innocent immigrants.

They live in overcrowded temporary shelters, which increases the risk of a massive outbreak of Coronavirus. They have no access to food or water and live on donations from surrounding communities or from immigrant rights advocates.

Adding to that, the health crisis delayed asylum processes and suspended applications and hearings for more than two months. Therefore, they must now wait even longer than usual.

On the other hand, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced that asylum seekers will have to pay a $50 fee to be able to submit their applications starting in October, 2020. That makes the US be one of the four countries that charges for international protection.

The USCIS employees support a lawsuit

The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is the federal agency in charge of processing immigration applications in the country, including political asylum.

A group of 14,000 USCIS employees decided to support a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the MPP.

They state that “Over the past three years, the Executive Branch of our Government has attempted to dismantle our carefully crafted system of investigating asylum claims and thereby the position of the United States as the world leader in refugee protection”.

The USCIS employees disagree with violating the integrity of immigrants who are persecuted in their countries and who only seek to build a promising future in the US.

Do you have an active immigration case?

The Trump administration has increased certain restrictions and requirements for immigration processes. With this, the president seeks to protect the local population against the imminent threat of the global pandemic.

However, now is the right time for you to submit your immigration application. We are witnessing how the immigration processes gradually return to normal and it is only a matter of time until the applications receive a response from the USCIS.

Therefore, we recommend for you to start organizing your documentation and take advantage of the time you have to prepare your application correctly.

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.