WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2019) US President Donald Trump's new immigration proposal continues his administration's plan to gut America's refugee and asylum systems, Eleanor Acer, senior director of refugee protection at Human Rights First, said in a press release.
"In today's speech on immigration, President Trump took yet another swipe at people seeking refuge, dismissing their requests for protection as 'frivolous,'" Acer said on Thursday. "For the last two years the administration has pushed policy after policy designed to gut the US refugee and asylum systems. This plan apparently offers more of the same."
Human Rights First said in the release that it is urging the Trump administration to restore timely asylum processing; launch a case management system and hire an adequate number of staff; support aid programs that reduce violence in affected Latin America countries; and increase support for asylum hosting facilities in Mexico and other nations.
"If President Trump is such an excellent manager, surely he can figure out a humane way - as presidents before him have - to process refugees at our southern border in a timely, fair, and safe manner," Acer said in the release.
Earlier in the day, Trump presented his new merit-based immigration proposal that would increase the proportion of high-skilled immigrants allowed entry into the United States from 12 percent to 57 percent.
Trump explained the new proposal would introduce a "Build America" visa system to replace the existing permanent residence - or green card - categories and give preferential treatment to young and educated immigrants.
The proposal would also require immigrants to learn English and to pass a civics examination prior to being admitted into the United States, Trump said.
An increasing number of migrants from Central America have been arriving to the US border in recent months. Trump has called the surge of arrivals a crisis and in February declared a national emergency in order to secure funds to build the border wall.
