If they make it over that hurdle, they can apply for any type of relief that's available to them. For instance, people who were trafficked can apply for a T visa, and young people who have been abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent may apply for special immigrant juvenile status.
But with the proposed changes, Crow worries people may only be referred for asylum or withholding of removal proceedings — categories that have different standards and which aren't available to some people, including those who have previously been deported and then unlawfully reentered the country.
As it released Trump's memo, the White House included a sheet of statistics and arguments to bolster its case. "Our immigration system has reached a breaking point as we continue to see an overwhelming surge of migrants, with more than 100,000 arriving at our border in March alone," it states. "As a result of loopholes in United States immigration law, migrants claiming fear are often released into communities across the United States, where they often remain indefinitely."
The memo also proposes regulations to require nearly all asylum applications to be decided in immigration court within 180 days of filing, not including appeals. U.S. immigration courts are notoriously backlogged, and it's not clear whether the proposed changes would also provide additional resources as they aim to speed up the courts' work.
Whatever the final language of the proposed regulations, they are likely to be challenged in court.
Crow says she sees an irony in the administration's latest moves to crack down on asylum-seekers, noting that the U.S. has recently cut off aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras — a move that's unlikely to improve the quality of life in countries that are among the biggest producers of people seeking asylum.
And when people in those countries seek a better life, Crow says, "we're making it even more difficult for them to reach safety once they flee."
NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith contributed to this report.
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