PerspectiveProposed Asylum Fees Are Part of a Bid to Make Immigrants to the U.S. Fund Their Own Red Tape

The Trump administration wants to make people fleeing persecution in their home countries pay for something they’ve long gotten for free: the right to apply for asylum in the United States.

Sarah R. Sherman-Stokes writes in The Conversation that as an immigration attorney and a law professor who has represented people seeking asylum for over a decade, “I believe this change, which could go into effect as soon as mid-December following a monthlong comment period, would be not just cruel but also unusual.”

At present, only Iran, Australia and Fiji charge fees to would-be asylum-seekers.

Sherman-Stokes adds:

Making immigrants escaping harm and persecution shoulder the cost of processing their paperwork is in line with other trends in U.S. immigration law over the last several decades. Fees for everything from green cards to naturalization are not only common but increasingly costly and mandatory.

In my experience, charging a fee would create a significant barrier for people who flee to the United States to escape trauma and persecution. I’m also concerned that the government plans to make no exceptions. Without any possibility of a fee waiver, those who can’t pay this fee would be unable to seek asylum.

She concludes:

one thing is clear. Most asylum-seekers come with nothing. What little savings they have are often used to pay for their journey to the United States and their basic needs upon arrival.

Making it harder for asylum-seekers to access protection is sure to leave many in dire straits.