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AP Explains: Questions and Answers on New US Asylum Ban

Associated Press

   SAN DIEGO - A major immigration policy shift took effect Tuesday to
   deny asylum to anyone who shows up on the Mexican border after
   traveling through another country.

   The dramatic move will likely have the biggest impact on Guatemalans
   and Hondurans, who must pass through Mexico to reach the U.S. by land.
   Together, they account for most Border Patrol arrests, and they tend to
   travel in families. The change drew an immediate lawsuit from the
   American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center in
   federal court in San Francisco.

   Here are some answers to questions about the policy, how Europe has
   confronted similar challenges, and how Mexico and Central American
   nations have responded.

   How does the new policy work?

   Asylum-seekers must pass an initial screening called a "credible fear"
   interview, a hurdle that a vast majority clear. Under the new policy,
   they would fail the test unless they sought asylum in at least one
   transit country and were denied. They would be placed in fast-track
   deportation proceedings and flown to their home countries at U.S.
   expense.

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