- The new rules aim to deter irregular migration
The United States government announced on Monday, September 30, new measures to consolidate asylum restrictions on the border with Mexico, just over a month before the presidential elections in that country, in which the Democratic vice president, Kamala Harris, will participate. and former Republican president Donald Trump.
These changes make it difficult to lift the asylum veto that is currently in force and come in the middle of an electoral campaign where the management of migration has become one of the central points of the political debate.
In June, the government enacted a rule prohibiting people who cross irregularly from seeking asylum in the United States, and after its implementation, migrant detentions have been reduced to their lowest point in four years.
The decision was harshly criticized by human rights organizations, which filed a lawsuit against the government, accusing it of violating asylum laws in the United States and ensuring that the ban puts the lives of people who need protection at risk.
What are the new measures?
The new measures announced modify the rule enacted in June in two ways: they raise the requirements for the asylum ban to be lifted and include unaccompanied minors in the figures for irregular crossings, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). for its acronym in English) in a call with reporters.
The initial rule stipulates that, for restrictions to be lifted, the number of irregular migrant crossings had to drop to an average of 1,500 per day for 7 consecutive days.
Under the changes announced on September 30 – which will come into effect tomorrow – the number of arrests must remain below 1,500 for a period of 28 consecutive days.
With these measures, the government hopes to “strengthen security at the border and deter irregular migration,” said the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, in a statement.
“The right to asylum must persist with changes”
Alejandro Mayorkas spoke on Friday, September 27, about the tightening of policies to limit the arrival of people across the border with Mexico and pointed out that the right to asylum in the United States, established more than 40 years ago, must persist with some changes .
US law provides that any person who arrives on US soil can request this protection, regardless of whether they entered the country through an official port of entry or not.
However, in the last year, the Democratic administration has taken a series of steps to sharply limit the number of people who can access that right, saying they are necessary to control the southern border and respond to a historic increase in the number of people seeking protection.
In all honesty, the asylum system desperately needs to be reformed. The right to asylum must persist but the details must change,” Mayorkas insisted during a conversation in Austin (Texas) organized by The Texas Tribune portal.
Restrictions in the United States
Since asylum restrictions went into effect, migrant expulsions at the border have skyrocketed, with authorities now deporting 70% of all adults and families apprehended at the border, a DHS official at the border said. call.
Hundreds of thousands of people have arrived so far this year at the southern border of the United States, the world’s leading economy, in search of better opportunities and fleeing deep social and political crises in countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti.
The entire American continent is registering high numbers of people movement, with more than 21 million people currently displaced, according to data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
With information from EFE
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2024-09-30 21:05:24
