The ongoing caravan from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador and our lax asylum laws are the very reason why President Trump has insisted on building a border wall and implementing a merit-based immigration system. He knows that all someone has to do is get to the southern border, say the magic word “asylum,” and they will essentially be given a free pass to the promised land. He also knows that with the way our court system treats asylum applicants once they are here, the odds are high that law enforcement and immigration personnel will never see that person again. The recent investigation of an asylum mill gives the public a stunning glimpse of the massive abuses of our asylum laws.
The first thing to understand about the caravan is this: It is far easier to arrive illegally at our southern border, claim asylum, and enter the country with certain legal protections in place than it is to legally immigrate here with a visa. Look at how differently we treat legal immigrants versus asylum applicants.
According to the State Department’s November bulletin, it will take up to 23 years for the U.S. to issue green cards for those in the longest lines; for those granted asylum, they can apply for a green card in just 12 months.
Legal immigrants are required to prove that they can be self-sufficient financially before they are granted a green card; however, those granted asylum do not have to prove they can support themselves financially and can take food stamps, welfare, or Medicaid.
While legal immigrants are subject to limited visas, country quotas, and lengthy wait times to sponsor a family member, successful asylum applicants immediately attain asylum status for their spouses and children under the age of 21 — even if they are still living in their home country. And yes, the spouse and children are eligible to apply for their green cards after just 12 months.
Our asylum laws are designed to protect political dissidents and those who are truly in danger of speaking out against hostile regimes. It was meant to be narrow in scope, admitting small numbers of people who deserved U.S. protection every year. It was not meant to be used for the mass migration of unskilled laborers who are simply seeking to escape poverty by finding a job here and sending money back to their home country. Using asylum for this purpose is an abuse of our immigration system and violates the trust of the American public.
People have quickly figured out that seeking asylum is the fastest, easiest way to get into the country — even if you enter illegally. That’s because you can be let into the country while your asylum request is pending in court — which could take years.
Contrast that with the legal immigration visa process, where people have to apply for visas overseas, meet all the legal and financial requirements, and be interviewed before they have a chance of even coming to the U.S. For those legal immigrants applying for green cards, they have to take a tuberculosis test and prove they are vaccinated against numerous diseases. This is not the case for asylum applicants, who simply show up at our front door. In the case of the migrant caravan, with many waving the flags of Honduras and their home countries, seeking asylum is all about improving their own financial situation with no regard for the financial impact their abuse of our asylum system is having across our country.
President Trump needs to change this to make seeking asylum as difficult as possible, to reduce the fraudulent asylum claims that plague our immigration system.
It is time for the president to use all of his authority as commander in chief to issue executive orders to prevent large-scale asylum claims from the migrant caravan and to establish a working group of bipartisan members of Congress to reform our asylum process. Working with border state governors and the military, it is high time to take control of our border and prevent the ongoing flagrant abuse of our immigration system through the asylum process.
Dino Teppara is an attorney, reserve naval officer, and naturalized U.S. citizen who served as chief of staff to Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., and in former S.C. Gov. Nikki R. Haley’s administration. The views expressed are his own.
