Dysfunctional Immigration Courts Cited for Growing Asylum Crisis

Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

Blame for a rising backlog of immigration asylum claims at the southern border belongs with a dysfunctional system in which immigration judges don’t have the power to toss out meritless and fraudulent claims, a panel of experts said this week.

John Hostettler, vice president of federal affairs for the States Trust intiative at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said the crisis of illegal immigrants at the U.S. border with Mexico is an asylum crisis.

The system allows immigrants to apply for legal status after fleeing violence or persecution in their home countries, Hostettler noted during a panel discussion Tuesday at the Capitol Hill headquarters of The Heritage Foundation.

“Individuals are coming to the border, and they’re being coached to find someone along the border in a green uniform and make a claim for asylum, because they know that once they get on American soil, they can make that claim for asylum,” Hostettler said.

The asylum system acts as a magnet for illegal immigration, he said. While acknowledging that some migrants have legitimate claims, he said many who apply are simply looking for better jobs.

Hostettler, a former congressman from Indiana, was joined on the panel by Heritage senior legal fellows Hans von Spakovsky and Charles Stimson for a discussion entitled “Securing the Border and Restoring Law and Order.”

Although a barrier along the southern border is helpful in deterring illegal immigration, it’s far from a complete solution, Hostettler said.

“While the wall will be a benefit, it will not be an end-all, be-all if we continue to allow asylum to be abused by so many people that are coming to the United States,” he said.

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