The door to asylum seekers in America is on the verge of closing forever

The door to asylum seekers in America is on the verge of closing forever

Md. Kamal Uddin    |    ০৭:৩৪ পিএম, ২০২৬-০৫-১৩

International Desk: 'Our border is now the most secure in history,' when Tom Homan boasted at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Arizona on May 5, the entire hall erupted in applause. The reason for the joy of this official assigned to Donald Trump's border surveillance is clear - the Trump administration has made it almost impossible for immigrants to enter the southern border of the United States.

Trump has been promising to close the southern border of the United States for more than a decade. In his second term, he has taken various strict measures, including building a border wall, increasing border guards, and detaining and deporting immigrants. However, the biggest change has come in the political asylum or asylum policy.

Analysts believe that these policies of the Trump administration, which are currently facing challenges in court, are testing how much they can limit the opportunity to seek asylum in the United States.

The basis of the US asylum system is the 'Refugee Act' of 1980. It was based on the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol. At the time, lawmakers were focused on resettling Eastern European and Vietnamese refugees fleeing communist rule.

At the time, asylum seekers at the border were not a big deal. “The idea was that those who needed protection would come from faraway countries,” says Doris Meissner, a former immigration policy officer at the U.S. Department of Justice.

But that changed when more than 100,000 people from Cuba headed for Florida within weeks of the law’s passage. The number of asylum seekers at the border gradually increased.

In the 1990s, former President Bill Clinton’s administration streamlined the asylum process and hired more judges and officers. While the situation was brought under control for a while, pressure soon mounted again.

At one point, under former President Joe Biden, nearly 300,000 migrants were being processed at the southern border in a single month. While some were fleeing political persecution, many were trying to enter the United States to escape violence and economic hardship.

According to analysts, asylum applications became a way for many to temporarily work and live in the United States.

Trump's political comeback is believed to have been strengthened in response to this situation. According to former immigration judge Andrew Arthur, stricter asylum rules are now the main tool to discourage immigrants.

Two important cases are currently pending in US courts. One of them is the 'Mullin v. El Otro Lado' case. This case will decide whether turning back migrants who arrive at the border violates US asylum laws.

Another important case is Rice v. Mullin. When Trump came to power, he claimed the power to suspend the entry of asylum seekers, describing the border situation as an 'invasion'. However, a federal appeals court in Washington overturned that decision last April. The court said that Congress did not give the president such broad authority.

However, the matter could ultimately go to the Supreme Court. In the past, the courts have sided with the president on many national security issues.

The asylum approval rate has also fallen dramatically under the Trump administration. In March, just 5 percent of applications were approved, compared with 31 percent when Trump took office.

While the courts have blocked some of Trump’s moves, observers believe the U.S. asylum system as a whole is becoming more restrictive. Even among Democrats, there is a stronger stance on border security than before.