Trump signs immigration order on asylum

President Donald Trump yesterday signed a proclamation that effectively will suspend the granting of asylum to migrants who cross the US border with Mexico illegally for up to 90 days. The order, which goes into effect today, means that migrants will have to present themselves at US ports of entry to qualify for asylum.

Immigrant advocates say the administration has deliberately slowed the processing of migrants at official ports, forcing them to wait for days or weeks to request protection. “I just signed the proclamation on asylum - very important,” Trump told reporters yesterday before leaving for Paris. “People can come in but they have to come in through the points of entry.”

The order followed other regulations on migrants released by the administration on Thursday. Trump’s order will be in effect for 90 days or until the United States reaches an agreement with Mexico allowing it to turn back asylum-seekers who had travelled through Mexico, whichever comes first. US and Mexican diplomats have held talks over the issue this year, but there has been little indication Mexico would agree to such a pact.

The plan, which invokes the same authority Trump used to justify his travel ban on citizens of several Muslim-majority nations, is likely to be quickly challenged in court. Pro-immigrant groups have denounced the administration’s plan, arguing it contravenes existing US law and unfairly restricts asylum protections for those fleeing persecution and violence.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said yesterday its legal experts were reviewing the new US policy, but declined to comment further. Trump made his hard-line policies towards immigration a key issue ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, sending thousands of US troops to help secure the southern border and repeatedly drawing attention to a caravan of Central American migrants trekking through Mexico towards the United States.