US Plans Rule Change to Speed Up Decisions on Asylum Cases
2022-03-28
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1It is estimated that the U.S. has almost 1.7 million asylum cases waiting to be heard in immigration courts.
2And that is only for people who tried to enter along the border with Mexico.
3The administration of President Joe Biden has set rules that permit asylum officers instead of judges to decide asylum claims.
4That could help reduce the number of cases waiting for a hearing.
5However, with such a large number of refugees, it is unclear how soon people will see results.
6The new rules could go into effect in just over 60 days.
7The goal is for asylum seekers to find out their status in months instead of years.
8The changes affect both officers who are part of the Department of Homeland Security and judges whose courts are supervised by the Department of Justice.
9Alejandro Mayorkas leads the Department of Homeland Security.
10He said: "The current system...has long needed repair."
11Merrick Garland is the U.S. Attorney General.
12He said the new rules will help "ensure that asylum claims are processed fairly, expeditiously and consistent with due process."
13Under the new rules, asylum officers will decide cases in 90 days.
14Those who are rejected will be seen by judges who will then decide their cases in 90 more days.
15The judges will be able to decide cases faster than in the past because they can get more information from the officers.
16Immigration experts are split on the new plan.
17Some believe the rules will prevent refugees from waiting so long for the safety of the U.S.
18But, others say the process may move too quickly for refugees to find lawyers who can help their asylum request.
19Eleanor Acer is a director for refugee protection at Human Rights First.
20In a statement, she expressed concern about the increased speed, saying it could lead to mistakes and then more time in the courts to correct the mistakes.
21Others who worry that the U.S. is becoming too open to refugees said officers will not be as able as judges to reject false asylum claims.
22But government officials disagreed with that position.
23Another concern is that the U.S. is not planning to employ more asylum officers, even as they work to deal with the huge number of cases.
24Last year, the U.S. government estimated it needed 800 more asylum officers, but the new plan will not start by including new workers.
25In addition, the new rules may not be put in place as soon as Homeland Security and the Department of Justice would like.
26The announcement of the rules was released last August and received more than 5,300 comments from the public.
27Other changes to the immigration system during both the leadership of Presidents Donald Trump and Biden have faced legal action.
28I'm Dan Friedell.
1It is estimated that the U.S. has almost 1.7 million asylum cases waiting to be heard in immigration courts. And that is only for people who tried to enter along the border with Mexico. 2The administration of President Joe Biden has set rules that permit asylum officers instead of judges to decide asylum claims. That could help reduce the number of cases waiting for a hearing. 3However, with such a large number of refugees, it is unclear how soon people will see results. 4The new rules could go into effect in just over 60 days. The goal is for asylum seekers to find out their status in months instead of years. 5The changes affect both officers who are part of the Department of Homeland Security and judges whose courts are supervised by the Department of Justice. 6Alejandro Mayorkas leads the Department of Homeland Security. He said: "The current system...has long needed repair." 7Merrick Garland is the U.S. Attorney General. He said the new rules will help "ensure that asylum claims are processed fairly, expeditiously and consistent with due process." 8Under the new rules, asylum officers will decide cases in 90 days. Those who are rejected will be seen by judges who will then decide their cases in 90 more days. The judges will be able to decide cases faster than in the past because they can get more information from the officers. 9Immigration experts are split on the new plan. Some believe the rules will prevent refugees from waiting so long for the safety of the U.S. But, others say the process may move too quickly for refugees to find lawyers who can help their asylum request. 10Eleanor Acer is a director for refugee protection at Human Rights First. In a statement, she expressed concern about the increased speed, saying it could lead to mistakes and then more time in the courts to correct the mistakes. 11Others who worry that the U.S. is becoming too open to refugees said officers will not be as able as judges to reject false asylum claims. But government officials disagreed with that position. 12Another concern is that the U.S. is not planning to employ more asylum officers, even as they work to deal with the huge number of cases. Last year, the U.S. government estimated it needed 800 more asylum officers, but the new plan will not start by including new workers. 13In addition, the new rules may not be put in place as soon as Homeland Security and the Department of Justice would like. The announcement of the rules was released last August and received more than 5,300 comments from the public. Other changes to the immigration system during both the leadership of Presidents Donald Trump and Biden have faced legal action. 14I'm Dan Friedell. 15Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based a report by the Associated Press. 16How do you think the asylum cases will go forward with the new rules in place? Let us know. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 17Words in This Story 18status -n. the official position of a person or thing according to the law 19expeditiously -adj. acting or doing something in a quick and effective way 20due process - n. the official and correct way of doing things in a legal case; the rule that a legal case must be done in a way that protects the rights of all the people involved