What Is Asylum and Who Can Seek It? Explaining Trump’s New Restrictions
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In an effort to stem the flow of Central American migrants coming into the United States, the Trump administration has focused on limiting who can apply for asylum and instituting detention policies that officials hope will deter people from seeking refuge in the country. On Tuesday, Attorney General William P. Barr issued an order that could keep thousands of migrants seeking asylum in jail while they wait for their requests to be evaluated by a judge.
What is asylum and who can seek it?
Asylum is a legal process by which people fleeing persecution in their home country may seek to live in safety in the United States. International treaties and federal law require the government to evaluate a claim for asylum from anyone who enters the United States, whether that person arrives legally, through a port of entry or illegally by crossing the border and being apprehended.
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