Immigrants from terror hubs claiming 'credible fear' to seek US asylum

Immigrants from terror hubs claiming 'credible fear' to seek US asylum

By William La Jeunesse
Published March 22, 2016
FoxNews.com

Hundreds of illegal immigrants from terror hotspots are using what critics describe as loopholes in U.S. immigration policy to try to remain in the country indefinitely, according to data obtained by Congress.

Taking a page from the playbook used by Central American women and children to gain U.S. entry, hundreds of immigrants from Egypt, Somalia, Pakistan, Iran and Syria caught entering the U.S. last year made asylum claims to avoid deportation – and, in doing so, asserted they had a “credible fear of persecution.”

This phrase is important because it allows them to be released and work in the U.S. Prior to 2009, the U.S. held in custody many asylum seekers entering the U.S. illegally until their cases were resolved in court -- but an Obama administration policy change allowed those fearing persecution to be released.

The finding that asylum seekers from turbulent Middle Eastern and African countries are now using this phrase to gain entry and remain on U.S. soil has raised security concerns on Capitol Hill.

"These numbers illustrate vulnerabilities throughout our immigration system," Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., said Tuesday. "Dangerous criminals and potential terrorists are gaming the system without consequence. The Obama administration is compromising our national security and safety for its political agenda."

DeSantis, chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, is set to hold a hearing Wednesday on the potential threat posed by these individuals in light of the Paris and Brussels attacks. His subcommittee obtained the findings on the methods being using to remain in the U.S. Witnesses set to appear at the hearing Wednesday are Ronald Vitiello, acting chief of the U.S. Border Patrol; and Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council.

Stats obtained by the subcommittee from October 2014 to September 2015 show that the bulk of the “credible fear” claims still are coming from Central American and Mexican immigrants. But 80 were from Syrian nationals, 191 were from Pakistani nationals, and 776 were from Somalian nationals.

"They are coming through the backdoor," Judd said. "Do I believe they have a credible fear? In a small percentage, maybe. But the vast majority we arrest are telling our agents that they are coming because they know they will be released. That's why they are coming."
Judd said illegal immigrants have found a second loophole as well. By claiming they arrived in the U.S. before 2014, immigrants are able to avoid detention and deportation.

Here's why:

In January 2014, President Obama announced his “priorities” program, which ordered agents to worry chiefly about criminals, national security risks and illegal immigrants who came into the U.S. after that date. Judd claims supervisors at the Mexican and Canadian borders have told agents not to bother turning other immigrants over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement since "they won't be deported anyway."

"President Obama said we need to take these people out of the shadows. The fact is we took them out, and now we are releasing them right back into the shadows. What was the point?” he said. “The court system is so backlogged, we're told they are never going to see a judge anyway. So just let them go."

In the past, illegal immigrants from outside Mexico were subject to expedited removal. The process allowed agents to deport non-citizens without going through a formal and lengthy removal proceeding before an immigration judge.

Now, however, Judd said anyone who claims they've been living in the U.S. continuously from prior to 2014 is not even being turned over to ICE and given a “Notice to Appear” in court. Fox News confirmed the practice with sources in two border sectors.

"At least a NTA required them to show up in court. What we have now is amnesty through policy," Judd said. "We are flat-out letting them go."

Requests for comment from the Department of Homeland Security were not returned.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/22/gaming-system-immigrants-from-terror-hubs-claiming-credible-fear-to-seek-us-asylum.html

by BOB PRICE
23 Mar 2016
462 comments

Illegal Aliens from terrorist hub nations like Egypt, Somalia, Pakistan, Iran and Syria are using a loophole in American immigration policy to get asylum and remain in the U.S. after being caught by border officials.

The illegal aliens are taking a page from the playbook of Central American illegal aliens, particularly unaccompanied children and incomplete families, by claiming they have a “credible fear of prosecution,” according to a Fox News report by William La Jeunesse. Critics of the program claim these, what Customs and Border Protection officers call Special Interest Aliens (SIA), illegal aliens are taking advantage of a loophole in our immigration policies to avoid deportation after capture.

By using the phrase “credible fear of persecution,” these SIAs can not only remain in the U.S., they are then entitled to work permits and are immediately released from custody.

Before 2009, La Jeunesse reported, many of the people seeking asylum at our borders were held in custody until they could make their case in an immigration court. President Obama changed that policy to allow for an immediate release of anyone claiming that “credible fear of persecution.”

Breitbart Texas has reported on many cases where illegal aliens from Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have either been discovered trying to cross through ports of entry or have been captured inside the United States after crossing the border illegally.

In November 2015, Breitbart Texas’ managing director Brandon Darby and border security journalist Ildefonso Ortiz reported that 8 Syrian refugees had shown up at the international bridge in Laredo. Just a few days later, five more Syrians arrived at the same crossing.

In between those two incidents five Pakistani men and one man from Afghanistan were captured in southern Arizona, 16 miles from the border.

The porous border clearly allows anyone from any country with any intention to enter the United States at will. Another example of this is the recent trend where thousands of Cuban refugees have made their way from Cuba to Central America, to Mexico to cross the border into South Texas.

The Obama Administration’s policy change came in 2014 when the Department of Homeland Security announced its “Priority Enforcement Program” (PEP). When the program was announced, Darby called the program “Catch and Release 2.0”

A source in the Border Patrol told Darby, “This is not how it was before. Border Patrol used to arrest, process, and turn the illegal alien over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the courts. Under this new program, the majority of illegal aliens will be released directly from the Border Patrol with no appointments or expectation that they ever have to show up for a hearing.”

National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told La Jeunesse, “Do I believe they have a credible fear? In a small percentage, maybe. But the vast majority we arrest are telling our agents that they are coming because they know they will be released. That’s why they are coming.”

“President Obama said we need to take these people out of the shadows. The fact is we took them out, and now we are releasing them right back into the shadows. What was the point?” he told Fox News. “The court system is so backlogged, we’re told they are never going to see a judge anyway. So just let them go.”

“At least a NTA (Notice to Appear) required them to show up in court. What we have now is amnesty through policy,” Judd explained. “We are flat-out letting them go.”

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/...aliens-asylum/