IMMIGRATION
Asylum Claims Would Be Limited Under Trump Reg
LGBTQ refugees among those who could be rejected under new administration initiative
BY MATT TRACY
The Trump administration
has proposed a rule
that narrows the scope
of consideration for
asylum claims to the point where
many refugees, including LGBTQ
immigrants and numerous others
seeking safety in the United States,
would be turned away.
In the 161-page proposal published
last month, the administration
appeared to seek out multiple
avenues to justify turning away
asylum seekers from all walks of
life who are suddenly faced with
insurmountable barriers to fl eeing
repressive homelands. The public
commenting period has ended and
the administration will review the
feedback before fi nalizing the rule.
The rule would limit the defi nition
of persecution in the context
of immigration, wipe out due process
for many refugees, and even
discard cases of those who did
not seek asylum in countries they
passed through on their way to
the US, among other strict regulations.
The proposed rule, pitched by
the Departments of Justice and
Homeland Security, would leave
immigration offi cials with much
greater leeway to dismiss cases.
REUTERS/ LEAH MILLIS
President Donald Trump is searching for new ways to restrict immigration into the United States. ➤ ASYLUM LIMITS, continued on p.25
Canadian Judge Nixes Asylum Pact with Trump’s US
Federal ruling cites refugees “detained as a penalty,” disqualifying us as a safe country
BY MATT TRACY
Citing the harsh treatment
of refugees under
the American immigration
system, a federal
judge in Canada has invalidated
an asylum agreement with the
United States.
Judge Anne Marie McDonald
ruled that the Safe Third Country
Agreement, which directs refugees
to seek shelter in the fi rst safe nation
they arrive in upon their departure
from their home country,
violates part of Canada’s Charter
of Rights barring the government
from impeding the right to life, liberty,
and security.
Specifi cally, McDonald took issue
with the way asylum seekers
are “immediately and automatically
imprisoned” by US offi cials upon
arrival. Those who are rejected at
the Canadian border in accordance
with the agreement are subject to
the American government’s treatment
of refugees.
“Canada cannot turn a blind
A federal judge in Canada has ruled that the US cannot be considered a “safe country” for asylum seekers
under an international agreement between the two countries.
eye to the consequences… in its efforts
to adhere to the agreement,”
McDonald said in her ruling. “The
evidence clearly demonstrates that
those returned to the US by Canadian
offi cials are detained as a
penalty.”
The ruling is not immediate,
however. The judge delayed it for
REUTERS/ CHRISTINNE MUSCHI
six months in order to give the US
Congress and Canada’s Parliament
an opportunity to respond.
The ruling was delivered weeks
after the Trump administration
proposed a rule seeking to signifi -
cantly narrow the scope of consideration
for asylum claims in such a
way that would limit the amount of
refugees entering the country.
Civil rights advocates in Canada
increasingly called for changes to
the Safe Third Country Agreement
following the Trump administration’s
2017 executive order that
was known as a “Muslim ban” due
to the way it restricted travel to the
United States from Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
The Trump administration’s
family separation policy similarly
drew widespread international
condemnation.
The future outlook for refugees
arriving in the US hinges in part
on the looming presidential election
and the possibility of another
four years under Trump. A task
force consisting of those representing
the teams of former Vice President
Joe Biden and US Senator
Bernie Sanders has recommended
that Biden toss all discriminatory
travel bans, end family separation,
explore community-based alternatives
to detention centers, and take
in refugees fl eeing anti-LGBTQ
countries or abusive situations.
July 30 - August 12, 2 8 020 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
