Status: 02/22/2023 03:24 am
President Biden’s administration in the United States wants to significantly tighten the rules governing when asylum seekers can file applications. Aid organizations call the White House plans “illegal and immoral”.
The administration of US President Joe Biden wants to significantly tighten the rules for asylum seekers. That’s to avoid a rush of migrants to the country’s southern border when the crown’s entry restrictions are lifted soon, a government official in Washington said.
Among other things, in the future, an asylum application should only be possible outside the US. Migrants who simply cross the border into the country can no longer claim asylum in the US.
This ticket is obviously intended for South American and Latin American refugees who wish to reach the US via Mexico. According to estimates, there are about 200,000 people per month. Most of them leave their home countries like Venezuela or Colombia to escape poverty and violence – and after a long journey finally reach the US on foot, where many of them seek asylum.
Aid organizations are critical
According to the new rules now envisaged, this should be avoided. Refugees must now apply for US asylum in one of the transit countries or through an internet application and request an interview with an immigration officer. If they fail to do so and simply come to the US, they should automatically lose their right to asylum.
The planned new rules were published by the US government on Tuesday. They will now be discussed for 30 days and then – with any changes – finally decided. They are expected to come into effect no later than when the strict Corona entry restrictions currently in place are lifted, which is planned for May.
Aid organizations immediately criticized the Biden administration’s proposals. “This blanket asylum ban will block the door to countless refugees seeking safety and security in the United States,” said Oxfam America President Abby Maxman. “This policy is illegal and immoral.”