Unaccompanied children who cross the US–Mexico border illegally will no longer have the right to apply for asylum under new changes instituted by the Trump administration, a shift in previous practice and a major restriction to how minors apply for protections in the country.
Former senior Department of Homeland Security officials said the inclusion of children in the Trump administration’s larger bar on asylum for those who cross the border illegally is both cruel and ultimately will be ineffective in stopping underage migrants from coming.
“That’s a big deal,” said León Rodríguez, who formerly headed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, which will ultimately carry out the changes. “You’re taking kids who are desperate enough because of whatever circumstance they’ve found themselves in, and who our laws have already identified as a particularly vulnerable population, and you have slammed the door pretty completely on their access to relief.”