(LibertySociety.com) – Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are expressing opposition to a new rule for asylum seekers coming from the Biden administration. The new rule expands expulsions of asylum seekers coming from Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela, unless they go through certain processes, such as passing a background check and obtaining a sponsor within the United States. The rule will allow 30,000 people from those countries per month to come under specific conditions, citing humanitarian efforts.
Several members of the Hispanic Caucus have held nothing back when expressing their concerns with the new rule. According to Fox News, Representative Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., stating that those seeking asylum come to the US to get away from violence or improve their financial situation. Other notable Democrats have expressed their concerns as well, including Representative Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Pramila Jayapal, D, Wash., citing the potential of federal law violation. According to the LA Times, officials within the Biden administration are reportedly expressing their concerns about Democrats being unable to criticize the Trump administration “with a straight face” any longer, as a result of the new rule.
The Biden administration is also facing lawsuit threats from the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as public contention from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, calling the move reprehensible. The Department of Homeland Security has defended the new policy, with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas highlighting the effort to make the legal pathways for asylum stronger. There is an app, which allows asylum seekers to apply for a sponsor, but the functionality of the app has been plagued by a number of issues, prompting complaints from lawmakers.
Republican Attorneys General from 20 states also sued the Biden administration over the rule in January, citing violation of existing law, and an effort to misrepresent the amount of people who are illegally entering the country. The administration claims that this effort will reduce the amount of people entering the country illegally.
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