According to the New York Post and a report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University data show that since 2022, more than 350,000 asylum cases filed by migrants have been closed by the US government if the applicants don’t have a criminal record or are otherwise not deemed a threat to the country.
This means that while the migrants are not granted or denied asylum — their cases are “terminated without a decision on the merits of their asylum claim” — they are removed from the legal system and no longer required to check in with authorities.
According to the report, the U.S. government has closed over 350,000 asylum cases since 2022, with a significant increase in these closures since the beginning of the Biden administration.
Look at this chart and remember that this is the % of immigrants released. The absolute numbers were much higher under Obama and now Biden, who you will recall is not only increasing numbers at the southern border but also flying migrants into the US “so that the border doesn’t look as out of control,” as per the US Border Patrol.
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The reasons behind these closures are varied. Some cases are closed because the applicants do not appear for their hearings, while others are closed because the government has determined that the applicants do not have a criminal record or are not deemed a threat to the country. In some cases, the government may have lost track of the applicants or the applicants may have left the country.
Limbo – and no check-ins
The closure of these cases does not mean that the applicants are granted or denied asylum. Instead, their cases are “terminated without a decision on the merits of their asylum claim.” This means that the applicants are removed from the legal system and are no longer required to check in with authorities.
This situation has raised concerns among immigration advocates, who argue that it leaves many asylum seekers in a state of limbo, without a clear resolution to their claims. They also argue that it may discourage other asylum seekers from coming forward, as they may fear that their cases will also be closed without a decision.
The “let’s wave our hands in the air” brigade argue that it helps to clear a backlog of cases and is a necessary measure in light of the large number of asylum claims that the government receives each year. Rolling over in defeat and allowing these people to vanish from the system. Who knows who they are, or more importantly, where they are?