The US will stop accepting refugees under two Supreme Court rulings aimed at tightening immigration policies. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Thursday named faked all asylum requests at the southwest border and stated that “The US doors are completely closed.”
According to him, the administration of US President Donald Trump has developed a “simple, elegant and complete” solution, according to which those seeking asylum in the US will be given the opportunity to obtain protection in third countries.
“America's doors are completely closed to asylum seekers. We have made an agreement that if you want asylum, we will find a country in another part of the world that will accept you. Very simple, very elegant and very complete solution,” Miller said.
It also argues that asylum seekers entering the U.S. across the Mexican border are not at risk of persecution based on race, religion, nationality or membership in a particular social group. As Miller noted, they are dominated by criminals, migrant workers and people relying on welfare and other social assistance in the United States.
“All asylum claims across the southwest border are bogus. They apply to persons arriving from countries where they are not at risk of persecution on grounds of race, religion, ethnicity, etc. . In many cases, they pass through dozens of other countries on their way to the United States, where they could apply for asylum if they wanted it. In each individual case, these are either criminals, or applicants for benefits, or migrant workers, or persons seeking social assistance. They come to reunite with family members. But the good news for them is that there are other countries ready to accept them,” said the deputy chief of staff of the White House.
The US Supreme Court handed down two decisions Thursday that allow the Trump administration to make significant changes to the system for granting asylum and deporting migrants, The Washington Post reports.
In one of its decisions, the court ruled that the Trump administration has the right to deprive citizens of Haiti and Syria of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). More broadly, it could affect around 1.3 million migrants from 17 countries.
TPS status is granted to migrants affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters or other emergencies in their country of origin. It allows foreigners in the United States to legally reside and work in the country for up to 18 months, with the possibility of subsequent extension. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously extended work permits for citizens of Syria and Haiti until July 1. However, after this date, humanitarian protection will most likely cease.
The second decision concerns migrants' access to asylum at the US-Mexico border. By a vote of six to three, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision that had previously blocked the practice of so-called “quotas”—limiting the number of people allowed to apply for asylum, the Associated Press writes.
The system was first introduced in 2016 under President Barack Obama at one section of the border near San Diego. Donald Trump later expanded its use during his first term as president.
Human rights groups argued that the measure led to a humanitarian crisis, with thousands of people forced to wait for months in unsafe makeshift camps near border crossings. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the border has been largely closed, and in November 2021, the Joe Biden administration officially abandoned the “quota” policy.
The US Department of Justice insists that foreigners who are at the border before undergoing official admission procedures are not legally considered to have arrived in the country. Consequently, immigration authorities are not required to accept and process their asylum applications.
