When I was a presidential candidate, Joe Biden condemned by its ruthless measures against it. immigration and the asylum was the then-president donald trump was waging a relentless attack on values and history as a nation of immigrants. United States of America. He then reminded that asylum seekers “must have the opportunity to present their case”. He also promised to return to a “more humane” immigration policy.
All of this was taken by wind or time, and perhaps by election calculations, and this week the Democratic president’s government announced a measure that would severely limit his ability to make demands, breaking decades-old precedent. asylum in America. For Biden, the toughest immigration regulation ever repeats a step Trump has already tried to take, which in this case has been stopped by the courts.
few exceptions
According to regulation announced by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security last Tuesday, you will not be able to seek asylum in the United States. Crossing the border without documents from Mexico Immigrants who have not previously applied for asylum in the country or countries they have passed through before reaching that border should have their application rejected. All immigrants arriving by land, with the exception of Mexicans, pass through a country other than the United States before arriving there.
Asylum seekers will also not be allowed to enter the United States unless they have requested a prior appointment at a center before reaching an official point of entry to apply (something usually done while awaiting the conclusion of their case). mobile application. that app, CBP OneIt was already up and running in January, and its operation was plagued by both over-demand and technical failures.
Although there are exceptions such as minors It will effectively shut the door on tens of thousands of people who travel alone, those with a medical emergency, and those facing the “imminent or extreme threat of violent crime” or other “extremely challenging circumstances”.
Arguments and criticism
The regulation is open to public criticism for a month. It will take effect in May and will initially be valid for two years. And the chosen moment is not accidental: on May 11, the USA, emergency end caused by Pandemicand from that moment on, the Administration will not be able to continue enforcing a regulation that Trump began enforcing, deporting immigrants for alleged medical emergencies.
The administration’s fear is that the border crossings are triggered from then on, something the regulation says it wants to stop. And in a press conference, government officials tried to justify that the measure was “neither the first nor the second option.” They came to say it was adopted”for necessity“, also stressed its “impermanence” and dismissed comparisons with Trump, as well as remembering that it is Congress’s responsibility to reform immigration laws.
These arguments did not prevent a barrage of attacks. criticsfrom both inside the Democratic Party and immigration rights activist groups to Republicans who claim it’s just Biden’s electoral ploy.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which managed to stop Trump’s similar attempt in court, has already declared that it will condemn it, and Anu Joshi, deputy director of the group’s national policy division, criticized “this veto” in a statement. asylum, in essence, is Trump’s veto of asylum under a different name.”
“Unnecessary Pain”
Meanwhile, Mary Meg McCarthy, director of the National Center for Justice Immigration, assured that the rule “violates the obligations of the United States.” national and international humanitarian lawHe specifically pointed to US federal legislation that “guarantees access to protection for persons fleeing persecution” and that the right to seek asylum is not dependent on a person’s status or manner of entering the United States.
Marisa Limón Garza, director of the Las Américas Immigration Support Center, said in another statement, “President Biden has repeatedly broken his campaign promises to end restrictions on asylum seekers crossing from other countries.” disgusting and illegal policies that will lead to unnecessary human suffering“.