Trump and his lackey Ken Cuccinelli (Acting Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) are trying to make it impossible for anyone to seek asylum in the U.S. Instead of using legitimate means (i.e., legislation), they’re applying their tried and true method of just throwing a monkey wrench into the works – forget about the rule of law: just effing eff it up any way you can. In this case, they are simply slashing the Asylum Division into oblivion.
The long-serving head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Asylum Division was pushed out this week by the agency’s hardline acting director, Ken Cuccinelli, according to a source with knowledge of the move, marking the latest shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration.
The reassignment of John Lafferty, who led the agency’s Asylum Division for six years, has caused consternation and fear among asylum officers and other USCIS officials, who worry that the administration is dead set on pushing forward with policies that may not always be legal or adequately researched. Lafferty will be reassigned to the role of deputy director of a USCIS service center in Virginia.
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“This is just another attack on the asylum system,” said one USCIS official who was not authorized to speak to the media. “To remove someone with his knowledge of and history with the program will cause damage. The administration views him as just another loophole.”
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Under his tenure, Cuccinelli has warned asylum officers to not allow some people seeking refuge passage into the country after an initial screening and sped up initial screenings of people seeking asylum, a move that advocates say gives immigrants less time to prepare for their interviews or recover from dangerous journeys.
“I’m scared. Wondering how we’ll make it through to next year,” said another asylum officer, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s all the more chilling because many of us saw Lafferty as a shield against this monstrous administration. He fell. What’s next?”
Cuccinelli has maintained an active Twitter feed where he has attacked the asylum officers union for criticizing a policy that forces immigrants to remain in Mexico, advertised his TV appearances, and shown continuous support for immigration policies pushed by the president.