The election of Donald Trump as the next President of the US has seen immigrants rushing to apply for asylum to be able to legally stay in the country while their cases are considered. This is even though many such applications are likely to be rejected.
The contentious tactic results in the immediate threat of possible deportation being lifted for a time from undocumented immigrants and also enables them to gain driver’s licenses and work permits. Last month, the American Immigration Lawyers Association issued an advisory noting that the practice had become so widespread it was creating ethical considerations. The legal community is at odds over the strategy, with some attorneys complaining that genuine asylum seekers are disadvantaged because the number of claims without real merit is now creating a backlog. Others feel that many immigrants are not aware of the risks such a tactic brings.
Supporters insist that the practice is legitimate, particularly given that the immigration system has still not been overhauled by Congress. Many view it is a pre-emptive attack against the harsher immigration policies expected from the new President.
Trump has stated that he wants to make the deportation of around two to three million undocumented criminal immigrants his priority since winning the Presidential election, last month. The independent think tank, The Migration Policy Institute, puts the number of undocumented immigrants with criminal records in the US at 820,000.