Trump administration moves to void thousands of asylum claims

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Trump administration has launched a nationwide campaign to invalidate the asylum claims of thousands of people with active cases in U.S. immigration courts by arguing that they can be deported to countries other than their own, CBS News reported on Tuesday, December 30. Another report says that U.S. could deny migrants access to asylum on the grounds they present a public health risk under a newly finalized regulation drafted during the COVID-19 pandemic in President Donald Trump’s first term.
The regulation, effective on Wednesday, December 31, allows U.S. authorities to bar asylum based on “emergency public health concerns generated by a communicable disease,” according to a copy posted in the Federal Register on Monday, December 29. Reuters said it could not immediately independently confirm the report.