WaPo Editorial Board Calls for Aslyum System Fixes

Today, the Washington Post Editorial Board printed an opinion piece titled Asylum has become a parallel immigration system. Here’s how to fix that. It's a genuinely interesting read, coming as it does from journalists as opposed to immigration experts.

Here are some of the more interesting nuggets:

• "Last year, DHS asked Congress for funds to expand its roughly 1,000 asylum officers by 2,000 — a staffing level that would have also helped DHS work through its half of the asylum backlog, DHS officials say. Congress funded no expansion; it should find the money."
• "The Justice Department should get more immigration judges.. though... The 600 or so it has represents a doubling since 2014, and still the caseload has grown. Even with 500 more judges, it would take eight years to work through the immigration court backlog..."
• "One key to a more functional asylum system lies outside of it, in wider channels for legal immigration."
• "the United States should seek to share responsibility with other countries to resettle asylum seekers"

I've highlighted the idea I personally find the most compelling.

-KitJ