U.S. Proposes Global Shift on Asylum Policies at UN, Documents Reveal

U.S. Proposes Global Shift on Asylum Policies at UN, Documents Reveal
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Internal U.S. government documents reveal that the Trump administration plans to advocate for a major restructuring of global asylum policies at an upcoming event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. According to the documents, the initiative seeks to significantly limit the right to seek asylum, reshaping the post-World War II framework for humanitarian protection.

Under the proposed approach, asylum requests would be considered temporary, and applicants would be required to first apply in the country where they initially arrive rather than choosing their preferred destination. Host countries would then decide whether conditions in the applicants’ home countries have improved sufficiently to allow their return.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed that Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will lead the event, which aims to promote a global migration and asylum framework aligned with the administration’s stringent policies. The documents describe migration as a “critical challenge of the 21st century” and suggest that asylum is sometimes misused for economic reasons, calling for comprehensive reform to address these concerns.

The plan reportedly also includes priority resettlement for select groups, such as the white minority from South Africa, reflecting the administration’s selective immigration approach. The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from international refugee organizations, which warn that any changes could undermine the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol, which provide legal protections to those fleeing persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.

Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, a global refugee resettlement organization, cautioned that modifying these agreements could roll back decades of international protections, with potentially dire consequences for vulnerable populations. The U.S. initiative comes amid ongoing global pressure to strengthen refugee protections, and it remains unclear which countries will support or oppose the proposed changes.

Human rights advocates emphasize the need to maintain international standards that ensure the safety and dignity of asylum seekers while managing migration challenges collectively. The event at the UN marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over global asylum governance, highlighting tensions between national immigration priorities and long-standing international humanitarian obligations.