Donald Trump’s administration announced an overhaul of the asylum system on Friday to ease the burden of unfounded claims. Asylum applicants could have their work permits suspended for years under the proposed rules.“Fraudulent asylum claims have long been a shortcut to working in the United States, flooding our immigration system with a flood of unfounded claims,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. “We are proposing an overhaul of the asylum system to enforce the rules and reduce the backlog we inherited from the previous administration. Aliens are not authorized to work while we process asylum claims. The Trump Administration is increasing the review of asylum applicants and restoring the integrity of the asylum and work authorization processes.“
1.4 million pending asylum applications—a state’s entire population
The government cited figures to explain the pressure on the system. The report states that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services currently has more than 1.4 million pending asylum applications, equivalent to the entire population of New Hampshire. The rule, if finalized, will reduce incentives to file frivolous, fraudulent, or otherwise baseless asylum claims by changing application and eligibility requirements for aliens requesting employment authorization based on pending asylum claims.
What are the new asylum rules?
- New asylum applicants will not be granted work authorization until the average processing time for some asylum applications reaches 180 days or less.
- It could take 14 to 173 years to reach a level where work permits can be resumed.
- Immigrants who entered the United States illegally will not receive new work permits. They will be exempted only if they tell U.S. authorities within 48 hours of entry that they feared persecution for crossing illegally.
- Under current rules, asylum seekers can apply for work authorization after a waiting period of approximately 150 days.
