Republicans are pushing for drastic asylum changes – an immigration law scholar breaks down the proposal

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Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California

(THE CONVERSATION) There is bipartisan agreement for the need for immigration reform and stark disagreement on what that reform should be.

A rise in illegalborder crossings since 2020 has applied significant pressure for changing under what conditions someone can apply for asylum. This government system is designed to provide life-saving relief for noncitizens afraid of returning to their home countries.

Undocumented migrants entering the United States have few plausible options to legally stay in the country. For many migrants fleeing their countries due to violence, war, government collapse, natural disasters or any personal threats that could harm them, the only legal pathway of immigrating to the U.S. is by receiving asylum.

Conservative Republicans in Congress are now proposing legal changes that would make it harder for most applicants to get asylum.

The Republicans’ plan is similar to both a similar rule that the Department of Homeland Security adopted in 2019...