NumbersUSA has always supported the United Stated taking "our fair share of the world's internationally recognized special needs refugees, but we are concerned about fraud that occurs in two major ways in our refugee programs.
The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, testified before Congress yesterday revealing some startling statistics about the humanitarian and security crisis at the southern border. Perhaps the most shocking was the number of asylum seekers who cross into the United States that do not show up for their hearings in immigration court. When asked by Senator Lindsey Graham, McAleenan responded that DHS recently conducted a pilot program with only family units where 90 percent received their final orders of removal in absentia.
President Trump announced Friday via Twitter that his administration has struck a new deal with Mexico to help stem the flow of illegal border crossers entering the United States along the Southern border. Illegal border crossings are near historical highs after Border Patrol officers reported more than 130,000 apprehensions during the month of May.
The Trump Administration is considering a move that would prevent some foreign citizens from seeking asylum in the United States. Apprehensions of family units crossing the border illegally are at record-highs, and most family units are claiming asylum once they're detained by a Border Patrol officer.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who also chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee that has jurisdiction over immigration, announced the introduction of a new bill that would address the ongoing border crisis. Specifically, Sen. Graham's bill would attempt to fix some of the loopholes that have led to a record-number of family units crossing the border illegally in recent months, although text of his legislation have yet to be released.
While dozens of Members of Congress continue to refer to border apprehension statistics from 2017, the crisis along the Southern border continues to intensify. The number of illegal border crossers apprehended last month exceeded any month over the last 6 years, and the number of Family Units apprehended is already ahead of FY18 after only five months.
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced an agreement on Thursday with Mexico that will keep asylum seekers in Mexico until their cases are heard by an immigration judge. Under the new agreement, migrants who ask for asylum at a port of entry or illegal aliens apprehended by border patrol who ask for asylum will be issued a court date and returned to Mexico. Mexico has agreed to allow any foreign citizen with an a notice to appear in court to stay in Mexico until the date arrives.
Federal District Judge Emmet Sullivan struck down the Trump administration's efforts to bring the 'credible fear' standard more in line with federal asylum law. Earlier this year, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions ruled that asylum seekers could not enter a 'credible fear' claim on the basis of domestic abuse or gang violence when seeking asylum in the United States. Federal law states that asylum seekers must prove that they fear persecution from their government on the basis of race, nationality, religion, ethnicity, or membership in a social group.
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker called for increased border security and changes to asylum law in a speech to the local Department of Justice office in Austin, Texas on Tuesday. Whitaker said the United States needs to close up loopholes that allow illegal aliens to falsely claim asylum in the United States, allowing them to stay in the United States for an extended period of time.
Immigration judges denied asylum claims at a record rate in FY2018, according to a new report from Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) that tracks immigration court cases. According to the report, judges rejected 65% of claims between Oct. 1, 2017 and Sept. 30, 2018, while 78.6% of asylum claims entered by individuals from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala were denied.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions submitted his resignation on Wednesday at Pres. Trump's request. AG Sessions did the most of anyone in the Trump Administration to implement the immigration promises made by Pres. Trump as a candidate in 2016.
In its eagerness to attack Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Shareblue Media has a new website post that encourages Central American parents to take their children on the perilous journey through Mexico to illegally cross the U.S. border. The attack includes outlandish claims and makes no attempt at offering a solution to discourage illegal border crossers from placing their children's lives under the care of the murderous, transnational drug cartels that control much of the southern border.
The sure-fire way to learn what happened at yesterday's Senate Judiciary hearing about Trump's zero-tolerance policy is to read the testimonies and watch the hearing in full.
If you don't have 3-plus hours to kill, here are the takeaways from 5 news stories -- starting with the items you are least likely to have read about.
In a Tweet Monday, Pres. Trump called for an end to the visa lottery and chain migration. He also called for immigration measures that would increase border security, tighten asylum policy, and end sanctuary cities.
During yesterday's committee mark-up of the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) and Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.) allowed for the passage of several amendments that would undermine the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement efforts and increase foreign-worker competition for vulnerable American workers.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued guidance on Wednesday, instructing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers to tighten up asylum requirements by only granting asylum to foreign nationals who can prove that they are the victims of government-sanctioned persecution.
DHS released border apprehension numbers for the month of May, and the numbers aren't good. Specifically, the release shows huge spikes in the number of unaccompanied children and family units attempting to cross the border illegally. Pres. Trump's tough talk on enforcement was able to slow the surge over his first year in office, but in year two, word has spread across the globe that his hands are tied when it comes to dealing with illegal border crossers unless Congress makes changes to existing law.
Loopholes in the current immigration system enabled U.S. employers to hire 403,000 foreign nationals with pending asylum claims in FY2017. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) granted these asylum-seekers Employment Authorization Documents (EAD), which authorized them to work in the United States. Most of these individuals would likely have sought work in lower-skilled occupations, competing with American workers and putting downward pressure on wages.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in a statement yesterday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will send 35 assisting attorneys and 18 immigration judges to the Southern border to prosecute the recent influx of foreign nationals attempting to enter the U.S. Sessions said that the department will be sending judges that don't have existing caseloads to work on asylum claims full-time.
The French National Assembly passed a bill over the weekend that shortens application deadlines for asylum-seekers and doubles the current detention timeline for failed asylum-seekers awaiting deportation. Pres. Emmanuel Macron's centrist party says the law will speed up the asylum claims process.
The Trump Administration is sending National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in response to a spike in border apprehension numbers combined with news of a caravan of more than 1,000 Central Americans making its way through Mexico to the Southern border. But only reforms from Congress can truly stop border surges.
The White House and Department of Homeland Security are working together to craft legislation that would attempt to purge “loopholes” from the immigration system that entice foreign nationals to illegally immigrate to the U.S. and incentivise employers to illegally hire them. The legislative package includes reforms that will lessen legal limitations imposed on law enforcement that restrict who they can detain and the duration of time they can detain them.
During his speech today at the department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), Attorney General Jeff Sessions criticized the asylum process saying that it is rampant with “abuse and fraud”. Sessions said that many immigrants are taking advantage of the loopholes in the system to enter and then stay in the U.S. illegally.
The House Judiciary Committee approved yesterday the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act (H.R. 391), which would narrow the “credible fear” standards that illegal aliens must meet in order to make an asylum claim. The bill, which passed by a 19-11 vote, is sponsored by Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) after being first introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).
The Associated Press reports President Obama terminated a longstanding policy that allows any Cuban who touches U.S. soil to become a legal permanent resident and citizen. The announcement comes after an agreement was reached with Cuba to take back the citizens the U.S. seeks to deport. The repeal is effective immediately.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced his Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act (H.R. 391) yesterday, which would narrow the “credible fear” standards that illegal aliens must meet in order to make an asylum claim. Rep. Chaffetz first introduced this bill in 2015 as a response to the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) at the southern border.
Kellyanne Conway, the newly-named counselor to President-elect Donald Trump, said the incoming Administration will not develop policies triggering heightened security based on an individual’s religious affiliation. She said Mr. Trump’s policies will instead focus on heightened vetting for individuals from terrorism-producing countries.
Illegal aliens are filing false asylum claims with the federal government to delay deportation ahead of the more aggressive immigration enforcement policies that are expected to be part of the Trump administration. By applying for asylum, illegal aliens gain legal status until their case goes before a judge who will rule on their claim.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Tex., unveiled a plan to overhaul homeland security that includes: “extreme vetting” of foreign travelers; revamping the visa application process; immediate suspension of all immigration, including refugees, from high-risk areas; building a wall and increasing border assets; ending catch-and-release policies; reforming asylum standards; deporting criminal aliens; ending sanctuary cities; implementing a full entry-exit system; re-examining guest-worker programs; and mandating E-Verify.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, criticized secret negotiations between the Obama Administration and Australia for the resettlement of migrants from terrorist-producing countries refused under the latter’s border blockade policy. The migrants are from Iran and Sudan -- both State Department-designated state sponsors of terrorism -- plus Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq.
A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) analyzes statistics from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to show how asylum petitions have increased since 2004. According to the report, credible fear asylum cases began to dramatically increase after the Obama administration’s catch-and-release policy was enacted in 2009.
Due to the increasing immigration court backlog U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced in a press release that they will extend “the validity period for initial or renewal Employment Authorization Documents for asylum applicants from one year to two years”.
An unpublished Homeland Security Department report obtained by the Associated Press concluded that the Border Patrol caught only 54 percent of those entering illegally from Mexico in fiscal year 2015. DHS previously announced it had an 81 percent success rate for that year.
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is calling for the accelerated deportations of foreign nationals who are denied asylum. The call is a change of tone for Merkel who, in recent years, has called on the European Union to quickly resettle migrants from outside the region. As a result of her open-borders policies, her approval ratings have declined due to increasing economic and security concerns.
The Associated Press reports the Mexican immigration agency issued transit visas to 424 aliens from African countries that will enable them to reach the U.S. border. Officials from the National Immigration Institute said those from the Congo, Somalia and Ghana had traveled from Brazil or Ecuador to the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. Most voluntarily turned themselves in over just two days last week.
According to a new report by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a Syracuse University-based nonprofit, immigration judges are denying DHS’ attempts to deport illegal aliens in 57% of their cases. So far in FY16 immigration judges have released 96,233 illegal aliens, including criminals, back into U.S. communities.
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., slammed the Department of Justice (DOJ) for refusing to investigate over 3,700 asylum cases in which the grantee was represented by attorneys convicted of perpetrating asylum fraud. He called the agency’s refusal “outrageous” and suggested it would embolden “aliens who already have an incentive to lie to obtain an immigration benefit.”
The Government Accountability Office released a new report that shows DHS officials have “limited capabilities” when it comes to detecting fraudulent asylum applications.
Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) has cosponsored Rep. Jody Hice's bill to end Chain Migration and the four immigration enforcement bills approved earlier this year by the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Brat in one of the few Members of Congress to support bills that would both help end illegal immigration and make reductions in legal immigration numbers.
At a Senate hearing this week an Obama Administration official said that nine out of 10 unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who crossed the border illegally during the border surge were placed with family members or friends in the United States. The vast majority of these minors were never eligible for placement, however, because the law Obama used to shield them from deportation defines a UAC as an illegal-alien minor without a parent or legal guardian in the U.S.
The Associated Press reports that Mexico apprehended 92,889 Central Americans between October 2014 and April 2015, while the United States detained 70,226 "other than Mexican" illegal aliens during that period, the majority of whom are Guatemalan, Honduran and El Salvadoran citizens. But the important issue is the disposition of these illegal aliens and there, AP notes, “Mexico has proved the more efficient."
Earlier this week, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) sent a letter to Pres. Obama calling for the end of the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee/Parole Program. The program, which has been accepting applications since December 1, 2014, flies individuals from Central American countries to the U.S. for the purposes of providing an "orderly alternative to the dangerous journey that some... are currently taking to the United States." The letter was signed by 37 other Members of Congress.
The House Committee on the Judiciary yesterday approved a bill that would recognize a state’s inherent authority to enforce federal immigration laws and negate the president’s unconstitutional executive amnesties. The committee also endorsed a bill that would strengthen asylum standards in a manner that prevents the “rubberstamping” of fraudulent claims and effectively ends the process of “catch and release.”
Three House committees held separate hearings yesterday on the curtailment in interior immigration enforcement, legislation to crack down on asylum fraud, and the potential for amnestied illegal aliens to access the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), even if they never paid income taxes. The hearings took place as Senate Democrats continued to filibuster legislation that would block implementation of the president’s executive amnesties.
The House Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee will hold two hearings in early February to examine bills from the 113th Congress that strengthen interior immigration enforcement, eliminate fraud and abuse from asylum laws, end Administration policies that encourage illegal immigration, and require E-Verify use. The subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) has introduced H.R.191, the Repeal Executive Amnesty Act of 2015, that addresses most of the executive actions taken by the Obama Administration over the last several years. The bill goes beyond simply defunding the President's actions to grant amnesty and work permits to millions of illegal aliens, but also reverses a number of executive actions taken by the Administration over the last several years, including reinstating the Secure Communities program, ending excessive extensions to Temporary Protected Status, and limiting abuses of the asylum system.
Leon Rodriguez, the new director of U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), said his agency is preparing for another surge of unaccompanied alien children and family units this year. As part of that effort, the agency is already hiring more officers to process asylum claims. Some 130,000 illegal aliens have been processed so far as part of this year’s border surge.
In granting U.S. asylum to a Guatemalan woman who said she was a victim of domestic violence, the Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals may have created an incentive for more women from Guatemala and other nations to seek similar claims. The ruling applies to Guatemalan women who crossed the border in the recent surge if they can demonstrate they were victims of domestic violence.
