The Quote Below – More Misinformation from the Media
“President Trump’s newest proclamation . . . is yet another expression of [deliberately and pointlessly cruel immigration policies. It evidently hopes that repetition will somehow insulate its actions from public or judicial scrutiny.
“The latest rule enacts a wholesale, 90-day entry ban on any person trying to seek asylum at a place other than a port of entry. Requesting asylum anywhere else – say, after being captured crossing the Rio Grande – ‘would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.’ Yes, the number of people applying for asylum has nearly doubled in the past two years, but apprehensions for illegal crossings remain far below historical highs. . . .
“Mr. Trump may have left some with the impression that, once the midterms were over, he had to more use for the caravan of Central American migrants that he had fantasized about to frighten his supporters to the polls. . . . Friday’s asylum ban demonstrates that Mr. Trump’s nativist impulses are not just guides to his campaigns but also to his governing.” – Trump Dreams Up Another Immigrant Crisis, The New York Times, the Editorial Board, 11/12/18 [Link]
Fact Check of Quote: This editorial dishonestly tries to make light of President’s Trump’s concern about the caravan and suggests that he is cynically using it to promote is political agenda. In reality, it is a legitimate response to a problem which will grow worse and worse if not met with firm action.
The problem is the strategy that illegal aliens and their enablers have developed during the past few years to undermine immigration control by instructing illegal aliens to make bogus asylum claims. With massive numbers of these claims, they hope to overwhelm our asylum system and gain residence in the United States. Their strategy is working, as evidenced by the two-fold increase in asylum in the past two years—as noted by Times editorial.
There is no doubt that the system is being gamed. Asylum exists for people with a “well founded fear” of persecution because of such factors as ethnic, religious, and political persecution. Many migrants from Central American claim that they face crime and violence in their home countries, but this is not a recognized ground for asylum.
Even if it were, it is not the reason that most Central American migrants are coming here. As one example, a survey of Hondurans this year, found that only 11 percent of migrants cited violence as their reason for leaving. Eighty-three percent said that the desire to improve their economic circumstances was their motive. That too is not a ground for asylum. Of applicants for asylum in recent years, the Department of Homeland Security notes that less than ten percent qualified.
And if the truth be told, the real number might even be zero. If Central American migrants are primarily seeking safety from persecution in their countries, they could apply for asylum elsewhere in Central America or in Mexico—rather than make a long journey to the United States. The fact they come here suggests that economic gain is their primary concern.
Despite the Times’ overwrought rhetoric, President Trump’s action is really no more than a small step to deal with the growing prospect of mass abuse of the asylum system. Gallup recently stated that 160 million foreigners would like to move to the United States, including five million from Central America. Our approach to asylum needs significant changes. If not, the surge of fake asylum claims will grow into a tidal wave of humanity sweeping across our border.