Trump tightened asylum rules for illegal migrants
According to the signed decree, individuals who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border will not be able to apply for refugee status in the United States. "I am temporarily suspending entry for a certain type of foreign nationals to address the problem of a huge number of migrants illegally or without necessary documents arriving in our country through the territory of Mexico," the order states. At the same time, the document notes that illegal migrants retain the right "to request other forms of protection from persecution and torture." What specific forms of protection are meant is not specified in the decree.
As BBC notes, the measures taken will not affect foreign children who entered the country unaccompanied by parents.
The American Civil Liberties Union has already called Trump's decree illegal, noting that the United States has legally enshrined the right of refugees to seek asylum in the United States regardless of whether they are at a border entry point.
Trump's decree on migration from the south was supported by acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. "Today the president made a firm statement that it can no longer be tolerated," his statement said.
Amnesty International Secretary General Kumi Naidoo called Trump's decree "another attempt to destroy an old tradition" of guaranteeing people the right to seek protection from persecution or threats to life. Amnesty International USA Executive Director Margaret Huang added that she has seen with her own eyes the consequences of such "inhumane and illegal" policies. Huang also called claims that refugees pose a threat to U.S. security an idea invented by the Trump administration.
Reports of multi-thousand columns of migrants from Central America (mainly from Honduras and El Salvador) heading toward the United States appeared in the media and social networks in mid-October. Information on the size of the so-called migrant caravan is highly contradictory: different publications cited figures from two to seven thousand people.
Initially, it was reported that columns of migrants formed in Honduras, but then refugees from neighboring El Salvador and Guatemala joined them. All three countries are among the poorest and most crime-ridden countries in the world.
Currently, the caravan is moving through Mexico. According to local media, some refugees decided to stay in that country and not go to the U.S. border, but the majority of migrants continue their journey north.
Many reports about the caravan turned out to be fake: for example, that it included people from the Middle East and that the caravan's movement was sponsored by the U.S. Democratic Party and the Soros Foundation. Among those who claimed that the caravan contained criminals and unknown Middle Easterners was President Trump himself.
On October 30, the Pentagon confirmed plans to send 5,200 troops to the border with Mexico to strengthen border control. Trump noted that the U.S. military is ready to meet the "bad guys" heading to the country as part of the migrant column.
Who is eligible for asylum?
Today, the United States has an obligation to consider asylum requests from migrants who fled violence in their home country. However, in June, Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated that victims of domestic violence and gang violence would no longer qualify for asylum in the United States.
Those who submit requests must prove that they face a serious threat of persecution. Then, under international law, they can be considered refugees. If potential refugees entered the United States illegally, they still have the right to file a request.
Economic migrants who leave in search of a better life are not considered refugees, no matter how terrible the poverty in their home country.