Biden's Asylum Dismissal Spree: 350,000 Migrants Freed with Amnesty in Sight

The Biden administration faces criticism for dismissing hundreds of thousands of asylum cases, effectively granting amnesty to illegal immigrants and fueling a surge in illegal border crossings.

Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan has slammed the Biden administration for its handling of asylum cases, revealing that over 350,000 applications have been closed since 2022. According to a report by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), these dismissals are based on the absence of criminal records or perceived threats to national security.

The move has sparked outrage among immigration officials and border security advocates, who argue that it undermines the rule of law and encourages illegal immigration. Homan contends that the Biden administration is well aware of the high failure rate of asylum cases, noting that nine out of ten applicants fail to qualify for asylum upon their hearing.

Former President Donald Trump has also weighed in, promising mass deportations if re-elected, echoing Homan's call for strict enforcement of immigration laws.

Critics accuse the Biden administration of deliberately dismissing asylum cases to increase the number of illegal immigrants in the country, which they believe will benefit Democrats' long-term political goals through census-based representation. Homan believes that the administration prefers to have illegal immigrants remain in the country, awaiting a potential chance to be counted in future censuses, rather than risk their removal through deportations.

The dismissal of asylum cases has exacerbated the ongoing border crisis, with illegal crossings surging to record highs. In February alone, over 200,000 encounters were reported at the southern border. The Biden administration is reportedly finalizing a plan to clamp down on asylum requests and automatically deny entry to migrants if the number of apprehensions exceeds a daily threshold.

However, critics argue that such measures are a "Band-Aid on an arterial bleed" and will not effectively address the root causes of the crisis, which they believe stem from the administration's lax immigration policies.

The surge in asylum cases and subsequent dismissals has put a strain on the immigration court system, which is struggling to keep up with the workload. The backlog of cases has grown from 2.8 million at the end of Fiscal Year 2023 to nearly 3.6 million in Fiscal Year 2024.

Despite the increase in case closures, the number of new cases filed continues to rise, outpacing the rate of completions, further exacerbating the backlog. This has resulted in lengthy delays in hearings and prolonging the legal process for both migrants and immigration authorities.

Immigration advocates and Republican lawmakers are calling for a return to stricter enforcement of immigration laws and increased deportations as a means to deter illegal immigration and address the border crisis. Former Border Patrol agent Chris Clem criticized the Biden administration for failing to address the issue sooner, questioning their motives for waiting until just before the elections to propose solutions.

The issue of immigration remains highly contentious and deeply divides political parties and the public. As the elections approach, the debate over border security, asylum policies, and the future of immigration in the United States is expected to intensify.