Asylum seekers at the port of entry in San Ysidro could discover faster whether they can pursue asylum claims in US immigration court due to a new program undergoing a pilot scheme at the border crossing. The program would allow people who fear being sent back to their home nations but lack the legal right to remain in the US to stay in temporary holding cells at the port until officials judge their stories.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum officers run the screening process, also known as a ‘credible fear interview’. It aims to speed up the processing of people seeking asylum, allowing them to know whether they can legally pursue their case in the US faster than was the case.
The port of entry at San Ysidro has been overwhelmed with asylum seekers since around December, unable to process them smoothly, resulting in long lines on the Mexican border. Immigrants from Central America, states across Mexico, and even some parts of Africa have waited for many weeks to ask for help from the US.
San Diego American Civil Liberties Union attorney, Bardis Vakili, fears that the new program may further back up the line of asylum seekers, rather than increase the pace. The union for Customs and Border Protection officials says it is too soon to take any position about the success of the pilot program.