Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer my amendment to this
appropriations bill. Section 235(b) of the INA requires that any individual who arrives at
a U.S. port of entry and asks to apply for asylum must be granted an
interview with an asylum officer. That is the law. It does not say our
borders are open, but it does say that we do not turn away asylum
seekers at our borders. However, in recent months, NGOs have documented many cases where
Customs and Border Protection officials have turned away asylum seekers
at ports of entry. These actions are clearly prohibited by section
235(b). My amendment would simply prevent any use of funds to violate section
235(b).
Keywords matched
Border Protection asylum officer asylum seekers