US blocks illegal immigrants from claiming asylum

The Trump administration has taken action to limit the ability of migrants to seek asylum on the US-Mexico border.

Under a new rule announced by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security yesterday, illegal migrants entering through the southern US border will no longer be eligible for asylum.

In the run-up to this week’s midterms elections, President Trump sought to heighten public fears about a group of Central American migrants traveling through Mexico en route to the US, which became known as “the caravan”.

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“Republican voters considered immigration a major issue in the elections - and Trump hammered home the message that the caravan amounted to an ‘invasion’ on the southwest border,” says Politico.

The restrictions - which White House officials say will apply indefinitely - will mean that people can only apply for asylum along the border at official ports of entry.

But experts warn that the move violates US immigration laws, and the measures are expected to face immediate challenges in the courts.

“The law is clear: People can apply for asylum whether or not they’re at a port of entry, and regardless of their immigration status,” said Omar Jadwat, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.

He added: “The president doesn’t get to ignore that law, even if he dislikes it.”

However, administration officials say the restrictions represent a reasonable response to the overwhelming number of frivolous asylum claims made by migrants who cross illegally, the Washington Post reports.

“Those who enter the country between [official] ports of entry - i.e., illegally - are knowingly and voluntarily breaking the law,” one official said.

“So it’s just important to remind everybody that while all immigration laws do afford people various forms of protection, the reality is that it’s a violation of federal law to enter our country in the manner that these illegal aliens are entering the country,” they added.