Refugee Groups Strongly Oppose
"Violation of the Right to Survival"
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to call for restrictions on the right to asylum for countries around the world at the United Nations General Assembly in New York at the end of this month. Refugee organizations immediately voiced their opposition.
According to Reuters on the 12th (local time), citing two internal documents from the U.S. State Department, the Trump administration plans to hold a side event during the United Nations General Assembly, presided over by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, to advocate for a global overhaul of approaches to asylum and immigration.
According to the internal documents, the State Department described migration and asylum as "the greatest global challenges of the 21st century" and pointed out that asylum is being abused to enable migration for economic reasons. The State Department is expected to argue that asylum seekers should not be allowed to choose their host country and must apply for protection in the first country they enter after leaving their homeland.
It has also been reported that the documents state that asylum should only be granted temporarily, and that host countries can determine whether conditions in the home country have improved enough to allow refugees to return.
President Trump suspended the refugee admission program in January while implementing policies to restrict immigration. However, in May, white South Africans were admitted to the United States as refugees using chartered flights, drawing criticism for what was seen as a "double standard."
In response, refugee organizations immediately protested. Mark Hetfield, president of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), which helps resettle refugees, said, "If someone risks their life crossing a border, they have a right to protection," and criticized, "If such rights are changed, we will return to the circumstances of the Holocaust."
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