It’s becoming more difficult for foreigners to win asylum in the U.S., a new study shows.
During the first nine months of this fiscal year, federal immigration courts have denied 50.2 percent of asylum requests. That is up from 47.2 percent in fiscal year 2013 and 44.5 percent in fiscal year 2012.
The Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse — a research organization at Syracuse University — based its report on federal records obtained by the U.S. Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.
Included in TRAC's report are denial rates for the nation's federal immigration judges, including those in Atlanta:
• William Cassidy, 89.4 percent
• Madeline Garcia, 86.7 percent
• Wayne Houser, 62.4 percent
• Jonathan Pelletier, 80.3 percent
• Earle Wilson, 93.7 percent
To be granted asylum, foreigners must demonstrate they have suffered persecution in their home country or have a well-founded fear of experiencing it on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.
In February, the Obama administration outlined new guidelines that raise the bar for asylum-seekers, saying they must now demonstrate "a substantial and realistic possibility" of succeeding with their claims before they can go before a judge. The National Immigrant Youth Alliance, an immigrant rights group, called the change harsh.
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