Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he would release a new interpretation of asylum in order to relieve pressure on immigration courts, The Hill reported Monday.
Sessions told immigration judges in Washington that illegal immigrants are misusing the asylum system. "The asylum system is being abused to the detriment of the rule of law, sound public policy and public safety — and to the detriment of people with just claims," Sessions said.
Immigrants say they have credible fear about returning to their home countries, so border agents have no choice but to place them in asylum proceedings.
However, Sessions said that the so-called credible fear claim has increased from 5,000 in 2009 to 94,000 in 2016, The Hill reported.
In the law’s current interpretation, foreign nationals can apply for U.S. asylum if they claim persecution or fear because of race, religion, nationality, or membership in a particular social group or political viewpoint, the report said.
"Asylum was never meant to alleviate all problems — even all serious problems — that people face every day all over the world," Sessions said, The Hill reported.
The attorney general did not reveal the specifics of the changes to the law. “This decision will provide more clarity for you. It will help you to rule more consistently and fairly,” Sessions said, The Hill reported.
Sessions said earlier in June that he supports a policy of removing illegal immigrant children from parents when they are detained at the border. "If people don’t want to be separated from their children, they should not bring them with them," Sessions said June 5 on the Hugh Hewitt radio show.
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