Asylum-Seekers Humanitarian Crisis
Frequently Asked Questions - Asylum-Seekers Humanitarian Crisis
What is Asylum?
By definition, the noun ‘asylum’ refers to protection from arrest and extradition afforded those who request political refuge from war or violence in their native countries.
Who are the people seeking asylum in New Mexico and the US?
Men, women and children including families and unattended minors from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in Central America, and other South American countries are seeking asylum in America.
How do they get into the United States?
Many request asylum at a legitimate United States Port of Entry at the US border. Others illegally cross into the United States. Many of these persons are detained by local police, sheriff’s officers or New Mexico State Police and given to federal agencies including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Border Patrol (BP) or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
What happens to asylum-seekers when they request asylum?
The identity of asylum-seekers, are recorded by CBP, BP and/or ICE. Each person is given United States documentation after federal law enforcement determine asylum-seekers have a credible fear of returning home or of being killed if returned to their homeland. Not everyone is granted temporary admission into the US. Each asylum-seeker is required to appear before a United States Immigration judge in a federal court near where they are living. The judge will decide at that hearing if the asylum-seeker should be granted asylum to legitimately remain in the US or be deported back to their native country.
Where do asylum-seekers go after federal authorities release them?
Federal customs agencies release asylum-seekers in US towns and cities near the border. In New Mexico, asylum-seekers are dropped in Las Cruces and Deming. Others are also released in nearby El Paso, TX.
What happens to them next?
Law enforcement or others notify city and county government of the presence of asylum-seekers where they are released. Emergency managers in each city or county arrange for these people to be transported to a temporary shelter. There, a host of volunteers from faith-based and other non-governmental organizations provide asylum-seekers with a place to sleep, food, medical care, clothing and blankets. Other volunteers help asylum-seekers obtain air, bus or rail transportation to another city in the United States where someone is waiting to sponsor them.
What does it mean to be ‘sponsored’?
All asylum-seekers must have a ‘sponsor’ to be released into the United States pending a hearing. Sponsors typically are family members in the US or faith-based organizations who pay for their travel from shelters in Las Cruces and Deming, NM. Asylum-seekers are only in NM shelters for 24-72 hours before relocating to their sponsors who are mostly in the East Coast but may be anywhere across the US.
Who pays for the services provided to asylum-seekers?
In New Mexico, asylum-seekers are provided shelter, food, water, and basic medical care to prevent risks to public health and safety. NGOs and local governments keep record of their costs and then apply for reimbursement from the State of New Mexico. Recently the legislature of the State of New Mexico approved $2.5 million for expense reimbursement for these quick pass-through services by New Mexico’s border communities. It is important to note the Federal Government should be paying for these costs, but are not. The State of New Mexico is demanding full reimbursement from the federal government to eliminate the unfair financial burden of this humanitarian crisis now on local cities and counties.
FAQs Asylum-Seekers Handout
Office of the Governor