Thousands of Central Americans joined a caravan this week,
originating in Honduras, with hopes of reaching the U.S.-Mexico border where
they plan to claim asylum, illegally enter the country, or both.
Pres. Trump has already issued warnings to Honduras, El Salvador, and
Guatemala, and has threatened to back out of the USMCA trade pact with Mexico
if the country doesn't do its part to prevent the caravan from reaching the
U.S. border. There are reports that Mexico is willing to cooperate.
The President has also said that he plans to move troops to
the border to help prevent the caravan from entering the country.
So far, the Administration has responded well. But how it
responds if, and when, the caravan reaches the U.S.-Mexico border remains to be
seen.
If there's one thing that we've learned from past caravans
and border surges, should any of the more than 4,000 economic migrants
successfully make it into the United States, they'll be released to the
interior of the country and never be heard from again.
Therefore, the best action the Trump Administration can take
is to prevent anyone from the caravan from actually entering the country. Pres.
Trump could even use his executive authority to shut down the U.S.-Mexico
border to prevent the caravan from entering the U.S.
Handling Asylum Claims
Many in the caravan have told reporters that they plan on
claiming asylum once they reach the United States, hoping to take advantage of
loopholes within the process.
They've said they'll claim asylum because of the
criminal violence throughout Central America and/or the lack of decent paying
jobs. But under federal law, those are not reasons for claiming asylum.
Under both U.S. and international law, an asylee is someone
who claims that they fear persecution from their government if returned to
their home country because of the their "race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular
social group, or political opinion."
If the caravan was actually fleeing persecution, they would
apply for asylum in Mexico.
The U.S. should take all legitimate asylum claims seriously.
But it is critical to deny the caravan admission into the United States while
their claims are being considered. Again, once anyone from the caravan steps
foot in the United States, they're here for good. DHS is already running short
on detention space, so there will be no way to detain illegal border crossers
and asylum seekers while their cases move through the process.
Preventing caravans and surges
The Trump Administration has already taken steps to
strengthen the asylum process. Earlier this year, Attorney General Jeff
Sessions issued a ruling that moved the adjudication of credible fear claims
more in line with federal asylum law. DHS implemented the policy this summer.
However, if the Administration does not take the necessary steps to prevent
this caravan from reaching U.S. soil, this dangerous and unlawful migration
will be the new norm.
But Congress also needs to act. The House Judiciary
Committee has already marked up and passed H.R. 391, the Asylum Reform and
Border Protection Act. House Leadership should bring the bill to the floor
during the lame-duck session.
H.R. 391 would close the asylum loopholes by requiring that
asylum adjudicators only approve credible fear claims when "it is more
probable than not that the statements made by the alien in support of the
alien's claim are true" and the alien is likely to be granted asylum in
the U.S.
[The NumbersUSA website is here. You can sign up to access their Congressional Alert boards.]
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