{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s2292-116/featured_asylum-abuse-reduction-act-1570120160.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s2292-116/featured_large_asylum-abuse-reduction-act-1570120160.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s2292-116.png"},"introduced_on":"2019-07-25","title_override":"Should Asylum Seekers Establish a Credible Fear of Persecution & Apply for Asylum in a Safe Third Country Before Admission to the U.S.?","summary_override":"

This bill, the Asylum Abuse Reduction Act, would require asylum officers at U.S. embassies and consulates to conduct credible fear screenings before admitting unauthorized immigrants entering from Canada or Mexico who are seeking asylum in America. Under this process, immigration officers wouldn’t be able to admit asylum seekers into the U.S., and would instead instruct them to schedule an asylum hearing with the most convenient U.S. embassy in Canada or Mexico. During these hearings, asylum officers would conduct in-person interviews to determine whether the claimant has a credible fear of persecution in their home country. Additionally, asylum seekers would be required to seek asylum in a different country other than their own and be rejected before claiming asylum in the U.S. (known as the “safe third country rule”).

Unauthorized immigrants could be granted asylum if they were persecuted in their country of origin on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; or would be subject to torture if they returned to their country of origin. Failure to show up for immigration court would result in a criminal bench warrant for an unauthorized immigrant’s arrest.

This bill would also make the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS Secretary) responsible for establishing an alternatives to detention pilot program. Under such a program, unauthorized immigrants could be released into the supervision of qualified organizations with federal government contracts to facilitate their compliance with all stages of their immigration proceedings. Unauthorized immigrants could only participate in the pilot program if they:

Certify that they will comply with all stages of the immigration proceedings, including removal, if ordered;
Acknowledge that they are only entitled to a single appeal of an immigration judge’s decision; and
Sign a privacy waiver.

Unauthorized immigrants who fail to comply with the requirements of the pilot program could be subject to arrest, detention, and expedited removal proceedings.

The DHS Secretary, in consultation with the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would be responsible for developing performance metrics for organizations that run pilot programs. These metrics would include rates of absconsion, arrest, completion of immigration cases, and any other metrics that the Secretary determines measure compliance with performance standards. If an organization running a pilot program failed to comply with performance standards, the DHS Secretary could require it to return funds paid to it during the noncompliance period, terminate its contract, or impose any other penalty authorized by the contract.

The DHS Secretary would submit a report to the House & Senate judiciary & homeland security committees on the implementation of the alternatives to detention pilot program.

Finally, this bill would codify the Trump administration’s Third Country Asylum Rule. To this end, it would prohibit migrants from claiming asylum unless they have applied for protection from persecution or torture in at least one country outside the alien’s country of citizenship and was denied asylum by that country. There would be an exception for migrants that are victims of human trafficking.

","official_title":"A bill to require asylum officers to conduct credible fear screenings before admitting aliens seeking asylum into the United States, to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish an alternatives to detention pilot program, and to clarify that aliens transiting through third countries on the way to the United States are ineligible for asylum, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Asylum Abuse Reduction Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"U.S. asylum officers; Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives; Secretary of Homeland Security; and Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.","argument_for":"The asylum system is being abused by people who illegally enter the U.S. then file frivolous asylum claims after they’re apprehended to prevent their deportation. Moreover, the volume of asylum claims to process is overwhelming immigration courts. Asylum seekers should require to file their claim in a safe third country they pass through en route to America to allow for proper vetting and deter people from making a dangerous attempt to enter the U.S. illegally.","argument_against":"The number of false asylum applications is small, and the increase in asylum seekers in recent years is directly attributable to crises in Central America and around the globe. Rather than turning away asylum seekers, the U.S. should seek to help those who have credible fears of returning home to violence and worse regardless of whether they enter the country illegally before making their asylum claim. 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Tell your congressperson how you feel about current legislation related to immigration!","page_title":"Immigration Bills on Countable - Vote on Legislation, Stay informed, Hold Government Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/immigration/black_immigration-1429042063.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/immigration/grey_immigration-1429042063.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/immigration/white_immigration-1429042063.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"international-trade-and-affairs","name":"International Trade & Affairs","slug":"international-trade-and-affairs","description":"U.S. Congressional Legislation encompassing arms control treaties, human rights, international law, sanctions, and foreign aid. Recent legislation addressed approving the use of military force against ISIS (ISIL) in Iraq and Syria, the emerging situation in the Ukraine and Ebola. ","page_title":"US Federal legislation related to Foreign Aid, International Trade and Relations and Human Rights - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/black_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/grey_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/international-trade-and-affairs/white_international-trade-and-affairs-1429042060.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Dina ","vote_count":483,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/pWRoaG8Z/large_pwroag8z-1565550227.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/pWRoaG8Z/small_pwroag8z-1565550227.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/pWRoaG8Z/tiny_pwroag8z-1565550227.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/pWRoaG8Z/following","followers":"/api/users/pWRoaG8Z/followers"},"about_me":"I am me","twitter_id":"@dinaroberts","facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":"Thirtycats","google_plus_id":"","website":"http://notreallyaustralian.blogspot.com","slug":null,"issue_count":25,"is_following":null,"influence_score":390,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":9,"following_count":17,"position_count":40,"id":"pWRoaG8Z","partner_id":null},{"name":"jimK","vote_count":516,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/large_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/small_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/tiny_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/following","followers":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/followers"},"about_me":"Retired, Politically Independent. 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I hear politicians eloquently argue for one side of an issue and later, when it’s to their benefit, just as eloquently argue for the opposite side. OK, so they are good at arguing- but what is that they actually believe? What is it that they actually stand for? An honorable person has values that persist even when it is not convenient or expedient. An honorable person has a moral compass that stops them from doing something wrong even if it is not illegal. 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We can do better!","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":"lovewaterboy@gmail.com","website":null,"slug":"larubia","issue_count":8,"is_following":null,"influence_score":4385,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":181,"following_count":27,"position_count":440,"id":"AmpOaKGZ","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"f27bd24d-1243-4a1b-ad44-a9ede0d3f015","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"If we exile Trump and all of his sycophants, then we will have a lot more room for asylum seekers. That’s what I’m thinking...","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":2,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":2,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":2,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/f27bd24d-1243-4a1b-ad44-a9ede0d3f015"},"body":"If we exile Trump and all of his sycophants, then we will have a lot more room for asylum seekers. 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Should Asylum Seekers Establish a Credible Fear of Persecution & Apply for Asylum in a Safe Third Country Before Admission to the U.S.?