In an article by the New York Times, “Trump Administration’s Asylum-Seeker Policy Takes Effect” written on Jan. 29, 2019 outlines Trump’s new policy towards asylum seekers. This policy forces them to wait in Mexico for their cases to be processed. The legislation allows for asylum seekers to enter the states only for court appearances. Asylum seekers previously were allowed to remain in the states while their cases were filed and put through the system. Mexico is supposedly working with the United States on this new policy, but are still trying to figure out the process. Asylum seekers are granted a special visa to come and go during the court proceedings. The issue with this policy is that, while Mexico has committed to protecting those asylum seekers when they are in country, these human beings are fleeing their country because of their concern for their safety. It is still unknown if this legislation will cause further harm. There has been significant backlash from advocacy groups over this bill because of the concern over safety. Another aspect is the fact that the borders are already overwhelmed with the number of people fleeing and trying to enter the United States, which adds another element to this policy. The United States said that they would only return men who are single to Mexico. It is expected that advocacy groups will fight this policy in the hopes to change it. As the flow of asylum seekers to Tijuana grows, new individuals are shocked to hear the news. These individuals did not plan on staying at the border for longer, but are still hoping for freedom and better opportunities.
Link to the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/world/americas/asylum-seekers.html