Sen. Cramer, Colleagues Introduce Asylum Abuse Reduction Act

Statement

Today, as the border crisis becomes increasingly concerning, Sen. Inhofe, along with Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) introduced theAsylum Abuse Reduction Act. Rep. Kevin Hern (OK-01) introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

This legislation will complement the President's work to build a wall by addressing immigration loopholes to strengthen the integrity of the asylum process to ensure that it is only used by individuals who are genuinely seeking asylum. The United States experienced a 234 percent increase in asylum applications from 2014 to 2016, generating a serious backlog in our immigration courts.

"The asylum system is broken: it contains loopholes which divert resources from those who need them and creates challenges for law enforcement, which result in the current crisis at our southern border," Cramer said. "This legislation builds on the work President Trump is doing to secure the border by eliminating loopholes and preventing further abuse. It also provides families with alternatives to detention as they await their asylum hearings."

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