The administration of US President Donald Trump held a meeting to deny that the world’s asylum system is broken during a UN General Assembly (UNGA) meeting.
In a panel called “Global Refugee Asylum System: What Went Wrong and How to Fix It,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau demanded that other nations take action against asylum seekers.
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What happens to the real asylum system if there are hundreds of thousands of fake asylum seekers? Landau asserted. It is not xenophobic to say that the process is susceptible to abuse; it is also not mean or bad.
Trump has urged other nations to join his efforts in reorganizing the US immigration system. Reps from Kosovo, Bangladesh, Liberia, and Panama were also on the panel on Thursday.
The Trump administration wants to rethink the asylum system, which was first developed after World War II.
Landau argued that the US would prefer for asylum to be granted temporarily with recipients eventually regaining their residence.
Additionally, the Trump administration emphasized that obtaining asylum in a choice country is not a right.
People seeking asylum can apply for it under the current system, which was established in US law in 1980, regardless of whether they arrived legally on American soil.
Applications must demonstrate a fear of persecution in their home country for a reason that is related to their race, religion, nationality, social affiliation, or political beliefs in order to be considered.
Applications review can take months, if not years. Landau continued, claiming that the system has become susceptible to fraud.
According to Landau, “the asylum system has turned our immigration laws into a significant loophole.” “I believe it’s important to be realistic that these laws are currently being violated.”
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting reported in April that suspected fraud in asylum claims accounts for only a small percentage of unsuccessful claims.
Trump supports a crackdown on immigration
Trump has made halting immigration a top priority of his presidency since winning his second term in the 2024 elections.
The tightening of the asylum procedure has been a part of that campaign. Trump invoked the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as a means of limiting asylum at the southern US border on January 20 during his first day in office.
According to Trump, “this authority” includes the right to impose restrictions on access to certain areas of the immigration system and to prevent foreign nationals from entering the country physically.
He argued that the proclamation was required to stop what he termed an “invasion” of immigrants.
However, a federal court ruled in July that Trump overstepped his authority by excluding asylum applications.
According to the court, the asylum laws were created by Congress. According to the decision, the president could risk introducing an “alternative immigration system” if he were allowed to disregard those laws and establish his own asylum procedures.
A federal judge upheld the president’s request to appoint a wider travel ban in the same month.
As asylum seekers’ advocates have long argued that Trump’s policies could put their lives and well-being in danger.
The US’s plan “sees like the first step in a bid to tear down the global refugee system,” according to Bill Frelick, director of refugee and migrant rights at Human Rights Watch, in a statement to The Associated Press.
Trump has, however, merely sporadically emphasized the risks he claims are related to immigration.
Trump claimed that accepting immigrants was “destroying” other nations in a speech to the UN General Assembly this week. He gave Europe as an example.
Source: Aljazeera
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