Less than 10% Central American Migrants Arriving at Border Have Legitimate Asylum Claims

Less than 10 percent of the migrants arriving at the United States-Mexico border from Central America have legitimate asylum claims, new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data reveals.

As President Trump’s administration releases new asylum rules — blocking illegal border crossers from claiming asylum in the U.S. — DHS data notes that the overwhelming majority of Central American migrants who claim “credible fear” do not have legitimate asylum claims.

The issue of the country’s loose asylum laws — where foreign nationals can claim that they fear for their lives in their native country and be released into the U.S. until their day in court — has sparked debate as a caravan of 7,000 to 10,000 Central Americans heads to the U.S.

In Fiscal Year 2018, nearly 90 percent of Central American migrants who arrived at the border and claimed “credible fear” passed their initial asylum-seeking interview. Only nine percent of those migrants seeking asylum, though, are ultimately granted asylum.

In almost 50 percent of cases where Central American migrants passed their initial asylum-seeking screening, the migrant never appeared for their asylum hearing or did not even file an asylum application. These migrants likely find work in the U.S. and live as illegal aliens.

Thanks to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asylum rules were reformed to prevent migrants from receiving asylum by claiming they are fleeing violence, gangs, or domestic abuse. These are not eligible asylum claims.

Every year the U.S. admits more than 1.5 million foreign nationals, with the vast majority deriving from family-based chain migration, whereby newly naturalized citizens can bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the U.S. In 2016, the legal and illegal immigrant population reached a record high of 44 million. By 2023, the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that the legal and illegal immigrant population of the U.S. will make up nearly 15 percent of the entire U.S. population.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.