Central Americans who arrive at U.S. border crossings seeking asylum will have to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed under sweeping new measures the Trump administration is preparing to implement, the Washington Post reports. Central American asylum seekers who cannot establish a “reasonable fear” of persecution in Mexico will not be allowed to enter the U.S. and would be turned around at the border. The “Remain in Mexico” plan amounts to a major break with current screening procedures, which generally allow those who establish a fear of return to their home countries to avoid immediate deportation and remain in the U.S. until they can get a hearing with an immigration judge. Trump despises this “catch and release” system.
Many of thousands of Central American migrants traveling by caravan across Mexico hope to apply for asylum due to threats of gang violence or other persecution in their home countries. They had expected to be able to stay in the U.S. while their claims move through immigration court. Trump remains furious about the caravan and the legal setbacks his administration has suffered in federal court, demanding hard-line policy ideas from aides. Senior adviser Stephen Miller wants to implement the Remain in Mexico plan immediately. Other officials have expressed concern about implementing it amid sensitive negotiations with the Mexican government. Under the administration’s new plan, if a migrant does not specifically fear persecution in Mexico, that is where they will stay. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is sending asylum officers to ports of entry in the San Diego area to implement the new screening procedures. Mexican border cities are among the nation’s most violent, as drug cartels battle over access to smuggling routes into the United States.