IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 10, 2018
Contact: [email protected]
Statement: New Immigration Policy Needed After Decades of Abuse
Current Broken Laws Harm Those They Should Help
Washington, DC — Independent Women's Forum (IWF) visiting fellow Sara A. Carter released the following statement in response to President Trump's proclamation to temporarily suspend asylum eligibility from migrants who cross the border unlawfully:
"President Donald Trump’s new policy targeted to deny asylum to those entering the country illegally is one of the strongest and most needed messages after decades of abuse. Current broken laws actually harm the people that they are supposed to help — those fleeing from violence and persecution from their homelands that seek asylum lawfully and qualify for it — and ultimately compromise Americans' safety. We must enforce our borders and laws as every other country does.
"Current lax laws, while established with good intentions, have been abused by human trafficking organizations and others familiar with our policies, procedures and laws. For years, the abuse, combined with the failure to uphold the laws already in place, have perpetuated a dangerous precedent for both the United States, as well as millions of people from around the world who have been trafficked into the country illegally.
"The national security implications are also a grave concern to both federal law enforcement and intelligence officials — as it is impossible to apprehend and properly vet those entering our nation illegally. The drug cartels and other nefarious actors understand how to play the broken system and circumvent our laws allowing them to rake in billions of dollars in trafficking people, narcotics and contraband into the United States.
"ICE officers and Border Patrol agents have long complained that those seeking asylum almost always have the same rehearsed stories to claim ‘credible fear.’ Those credible claims ballooned under the Obama administration’s relaxed regulations and subsequently led to a massive increase in people seeking asylum.
"The American people are frankly tired of broken promises by lawmakers, who year after year fail to fix the immigration system. Maybe this time, President Trump’s new restrictions will be a first step in addressing these serious concerns and send a clear message to the rest of the world: we will no longer allow this abuse of our system to continue."
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Independent Women's Forum is an educational 501(c)(3) dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well-intended, but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.