WASHINGTON, Apr 30 (Reuters): US President Donald Trump directed officials to toughen rules for asylum seekers on Monday, including by introducing a fee for their applications and barring those who entered the country illegally from working until their claims are approved.
The moves are the latest effort by the Trump administration to stem a growing number of migrants crossing the US southern border, many of whom then seek asylum in the United States.
Many of the changes would be dramatic shifts in how asylum seekers are treated, but would also require time-intensive regulatory procedures before they go into effect, which will likely take months.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly blamed US laws protecting asylum seekers for encouraging fraudulent or non-deserving claims.
But immigrant advocates say the Trump administration's efforts to restrict asylum protections harms people legitimately seeking refuge from violence and persecution.
On Monday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum that directed the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to, within 90 days, introduce a slew of new regulations tightening asylum policy, including one setting a fee for asylum applications, which are currently free to file.
Even a small fee could be insurmountable for many asylum seekers, said Victoria Neilson, a former official at US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the government agency that accepts asylum applications.
"The majority of people coming to the United States seeking asylum are coming with little more than the shirts on their back," she said.
Another regulation Trump ordered his officials to prepare would ensure asylum claims are adjudicated in immigration court within six months.
US law already directs the Justice Department to finish asylum cases within six months, but with a backlog of more than 800,000 cases, asylum claims often take years to come to a conclusion.
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