Homeland Inspector: Asylum and American

homeland inspector: Under U.S. law, any foreigner may claim asylum, according to Brandon Sun. Many are left with the impression that the U.S. is no longer considering asylum requests, according to the complaint filed Friday to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's inspector general. The groups said they began fielding reports in the summer that border crossers entering the country from Mexico were being told that they couldn't seek asylum, that they needed visas, or that that they first had to petition Mexican authorities for relief. Six groups, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Civil Liberties Union and American Immigration Council, urged an investigation to fully address this alarming new trend. After clearing a credible fear interview, their cases move to immigration courts, a process that could take years and allow them to remain in the country until a decision is reached.U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which does the initial screening, said it had 92,071 cases in the 2016 fiscal year, nearly double the 47,928 cases it handled the previous year and more than 16 times the 5,523 cases in 2009. Requests for asylum and other forms of humanitarian relief have surged in recent years, with many crossers turning themselves in instead of trying to avoid capture. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.