The New York Times is finally acknowledging a truth about the border crisis that most people following the issue long ago knew to be true. The reality is that the vast majority of those heading toward the U.S.-Mexico border are not seeking asylum. In other words, they would not be able to convince judges that by returning to their home country they’d face persecution due to their religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. We saw this on display with the recent caravan heading toward the U.S. where those leading the group carried banners that read “exodus from poverty.”
Indeed, many are motivated to make the long and dangerous trek for economic reasons. But since that’s not a valid reason to be given asylum there is something else at play, which the Times acknowledges: they know once they get here, they’ll be able to stay… “forever.”
“And by and large, they are not wrong,” the analysis states.
If the "asylum seekers" told judges the real reason they came they’d quickly be deported. So instead, they claim asylum even it’s it a weak case because it buys them time. U.S. law allows those seeking asylum to stay here until their cases are closed, and with court dates set years ahead and work authorization cards given if a decision isn’t handed down in 150 days (“virtually impossible today”), they know they’ll be able to begin establishing a life here.
The United States is trying to run an immigration system with a fraction of the judges, asylum officers, interpreters and other personnel that it needs to handle the hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing the border and flocking to cities around the country each year. That dysfunction has made it impossible for the nation to expeditiously decide who can remain in the country and who should be sent back to their homeland. […]
Most asylum claims are ultimately rejected. But even when that happens, years down the road, applicants are highly unlikely to be deported. With millions of people unlawfully in the country, U.S. deportation officers prioritize arresting and expelling people who have committed serious crimes and pose a threat to public safety. (NYT)
During an interview with the Times last month, one illegal border crosser from Colombia said she didn’t know “anyone who has been deported.”
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Now consider what that means for the country when about 2.5 million illegal immigrants came in fiscal year 2023 alone. That's why President Trump and conservative commentators are calling for mass deportations.
