Apr 30, 2019

Trump wants to start charging fees for asylum applications

President Donald Trump. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

In a memorandum released Monday evening, President Trump directed Attorney General William Barr and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan to issue new regulations within 90 days to help overhaul the asylum process — including charging fees on asylum applications.

Details: Trump wants immigration courts to adjudicate all asylum applications within 180 days of filing, a move the memo said would "safeguard our system against rampant abuse of our asylum process." The memo would also charge filing fees for asylum seekers applying for work permits while waiting for their cases to be heard, and prohibit those who entered the country illegally from being able to receive work permits while their asylum cases are pending.

The backdrop: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services charges a range of fees depending on the type of immigration program someone is applying for. But asylum applications, which are adjudicated in immigration court instead of by USCIS officials, do not require fees.

Go deeper: Inside Trump's politically dubious new border plan

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U.S. coronavirus updates: New York tops previous day's record death toll

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

New York's death toll surged to its highest one-day total on Wednesday — beating the previous day's record. 779 people died in the state in 24 hours. The state has reported more cases than the most-affected countries in Europe.

Why it matters: Public health officials have warned this would be a particularly deadly week for America, even as New York began to see declining trends of hospitalizations and ICU admissions.

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Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 1,504,971 — Total deaths: 87,984 — Total recoveries: 318,068 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 424,945 — Total deaths: 14,529 — Total recoveries: 23,292 — Map.
Federal government latest: Top Trump administration officials had been developing a plan to give cloth masks to huge numbers of Americans, but the idea lost traction amid heavy internal skepticism.
States latest: Chicago's Cook County jail is largest-known source of coronavirus in U.S.
Business update: One-third of U.S. jobs are at risk of disappearing, mostly affecting low-income workers.
World update: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to put politics aside "if you don’t want to have many more body bags.”
Environment update: COVID-19 is underscoring the connection between air pollution and dire outcomes from respiratory diseases.
What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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Bryan Walsh

The pandemic and pollution

New York City's skyline on a smoggy day in May 2019. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

COVID-19 is underscoring the connection between air pollution and dire outcomes from respiratory diseases.

Why it matters: Old-fashioned air pollution is almost certainly the single biggest environmental health threat, contributing to the deaths of some 7 million people a year according to the WHO, making it comparable to deaths from smoking.

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