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Bloomberg
October 22, 2018

Where Now for the Migrant Caravan Facing Trump’s Threats?
By Matthew Bristow and Michael McDonald


Under standard U.S. border procedures, the migrants would be detained for not having the required documents and asked whether they’re afraid of returning to their home. A person who says “no” will be removed from the U.S. A person who expresses fear of persecution or torture would be interviewed by an asylum officer to establish whether there is credible fear of persecution. Michael J. Bars, a spokesman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in an email that the “extremely low bar” for establishing credible fear allows economic migrants to abuse the system by posing as asylum seekers, then disappear before their court dates to live illegally in the U.S. About 60 percent of asylum requests are denied, according to data collected by TRAC, a research center affiliated with Syracuse University. Some adults may wait in detention while their asylum case in processed, while families often are released on their own recognizance.


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