Washington wants migrants worldwide to seek protection only in the first country they enter, Reuters and Bloomberg have reported
The US is planning to press for curbs on global migration at the United Nations this month, insisting that asylum seekers should request protection in the first country they enter rather than choosing their preferred destination, according to several media reports.
The current global asylum system “has long been abused by bad actors and economic migrants to fuel the global migration crisis,” the State Department’s statement cited by Bloomberg said, adding that the administration of US President Donald Trump believes that these “abuses have disrupted entire regions, enriched criminal cartels, and violated the sovereignty of nations.”
According to Reuters, US officials have prepared an event to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later in September, which is expected to call for “commonsense and necessary reforms” to the asylum system.
Under the proposed framework, asylum seekers would be required to claim protection in the first country they reach, not a destination of their choosing, a State Department spokesperson told the Daily Caller. The official added that the administration’s position is that every nation has a right to control its borders, asylum should be temporary, and host governments should decide when conditions in a person’s home country are safe enough for return.
Reuters noted that the Trump administration’s plan could mark a significant shift from global migration policies that have been in place since the middle of the 20th century, noting, however, that the US has no authority to unilaterally change the global framework.
Trump has made curbing migration in the US a centerpiece of his domestic and foreign policy. He has repeatedly warned against so-called migrant “caravans” from Latin America, portraying them as a threat and claiming they were full of criminals. Rights groups, however, argue that these groups consist mainly of poor people fleeing gang violence who travel together for protection.
The Trump administration has also tightened domestic asylum rules, declared a national emergency on the southern US border, increased deportations, and pressured Latin American governments to stop migrant flows.
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