President Trump has called for a levy imposed on asylum seekers in a bid to speed up the processing of their applications. He has not revealed a possible fee, or said how those fleeing violence and poverty could pay this levy
Donald Trump has unveiled proposals to charge asylum seekers a fee before allowing them to enter the United States.
The president signed a presidential memorandum Monday directing his attorney general and acting homeland security secretary to consider imposing the levy in a bid to overhaul his nation’s immigration system.
Trump’s new directive claims US immigration policies and procedures are ‘in crisis’ and plagued by ‘rampant abuse.’
He proposed the crackdown as officials at America’s southern border with Mexico deal with a surge of migrant families that has overwhelmed US resources.
Most of those arriving say that they are fleeing violence and poverty, and request asylum in accordance with both US and international law.
Such requests have previously been processed for free.
Trump has given officials 90 days to come up with ways of ensuring these are processed within 180 days.
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The White House has not offered further guidance on how much this fee could be, or how impoverished families are expected to pay it.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Charlie Yaxley said that seeking asylum ‘is a fundamental right.’
He added: ‘People should be allowed to exercise those rights when seeking to seek asylum.’
Other measures proposed by Trump include barring anyone who has entered or tried to enter the US illegally from receiving a work permit.
He also wants anyone whose application for asylum is denied to have their work permit revoked, and for them to be removed from the country immediately.
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Trump was voted into office after promising to take a hard line on immigration, including his much-vaunted southern border wall.
But the president has since been forced into a humiliating climbdown after failing to secure sufficient funding for his planned concrete barrier.
He now claims to be happy with extensions and repairs to the existing steel slat fence separating the US from Mexico.
Arrests along the southern border have skyrocketed in recent months, with more than 100,000 people detained or denied entry in March, the highest in a single month since 2007.
