Perspective: Asylum seekers leave everything behind. There’s no way they can pay Trump’s fee.
Migrants seeking asylum in the United States stand in line to receive breakfast from volunteers near the international border in Matamoros, Mexico, on April 30. By Lindsay M. Harris and Lindsay M. Harris Bio Follow Joan Hodges-Wu May 1 at 9:32 AM On Monday evening, President Trump issued a memo intended to make life more difficult for those seeking asylum in the United States.
There are already plenty of obstacles and limits to that right in our existing immigration system. For instance, asylum seekers have to wait to receive permission to legally work in the United States. Congress codified a waiting period for work permits for asylum seekers in 1996. Asylum seekers can apply for a work permit 150 days after they have submitted an application for asylum. The work permit is issued sometime after 180 days.
Introducing a fee to apply for asylum and to apply for the first work permit is not only cruel, but it also goes against common sense and U.S. economic interests. Asylum seekers typically cannot afford to pay even a nominal fee. Trump’s memo does not specify the fee amount, only that it would “cover the cost of adjudication.” But even the rumored $50 fee would be too high for any of our clients.
And contrary to some misconceptions among the public , asylum seekers are generally ineligible for any form of federal or state aid. Indeed, even after they are granted asylum, they do not receive significant support from the government. Between paying for rent, food and other living expenses, and not being able to work for a significant period of time, how will asylum seekers pay the fee?
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