Immigration Article of the Day: How the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 Has Undermined US Refugee Protection Obligations and Wasted Government Resources by Eleanor Acer and Olga Byrne
How the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 Has Undermined US Refugee Protection Obligations and Wasted Government Resources
by Eleanor Acer and Olga Byrne (Human Rights First)
Seeking asylum is a human right, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) created multiple new barriers to asylum, which have blocked many refugees from accessing asylum. These barriers include a one-year filing deadline on asylum applications, summary deportation procedures, and broad “mandatory detention” provisions. This paper highlights recent research, litigation, and advocacy efforts that highlight the rights violations and systemic inefficiencies generated by IIRIRA. It concludes with a series of recommendations, calling on the US government to eliminate these counterproductive barriers and to take steps to ensure access to asylum.
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