SAN DIEGO ( Border Report ) — About 80 percent of asylum-seekers who come to the United States are being rejected and sent back home, according to Luis Miranda, Assistant Secretary for Communications with the Department of Homeland Security.
“In general, most of the people who arrived in the United States during the last three years have been deported, expelled or returned to Mexico,” Miranda said during a video news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
He stated those who could not be immediately sent back face removal proceedings that can take years.
“Asylum-seekers are allowed to remain in the U.S. during the legal process but cannot obtain work permits,” he said.
Miranda also stressed that asylum is for those who have been persecuted, belong to vulnerable populations, or are discriminated against for their sexual orientation or preference, and religious or political beliefs.