On Friday morning, MSNBC's Jose Diaz Balart devoted a segment to complaining about both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations slowing down the entry of illegal immigrants as the liberal host fretted that limiting immigrant entry makes it take longer for LGBT asylum seekers to enter the country.
After beginning the segment by playing a clip of former President Donald Trump promising mass deportations, Diaz-Balart undermined him:
You know, immigration is such a hot political topic, but when you look at it, and when you study it, it really all boils down to people. I want to introduce you to three people who were forced to leave their country of birth and experience the most horrendous abuse on their way to the United States because, for them -- for them -- asylum is literally about life or death.
He then played a pre-recorded piece recalling the violence faced by gays and transgenders who travel from Central America through Mexico to reach the U.S. before bringing aboard Bridget Crawford of the group Immigration Equality to complain that it is too difficult for gays to get into the U.S.:
You know, the process itself is quite daunting, and there are lots of systemic barriers that make asylum out of reach for people even who should qualify. For example, you know, there are policies that have been brought under both the Biden and the Trump administration that make people presumptively ineligible for asylum depending on whether they entered the country regardless of how strong their underlying claim is.
She soon complained about gay asylum seekers being detained before their cases are heard:
And I think this is particularly pronounced and hard when people are detained. So many asylum seekers are put in immigration jails just because they asked for asylum and assistance. And LGBTQ people face particularly abusive conditions in U.S. immigration jails and often struggle to find lawyers or even prepare their cases.
No concerns were raised about how the system needs time to do proper background checks on illegals to make sure they have not committed crimes back in their home countries, and that there have been many cases of those with criminal records being allowed to enter the U.S. in recent years.
Diaz-Balart followed up: "Yeah, I mean, so many people who make the journey to the United States in the last couple of years tell us that the worst part of their journey is when they have to go through Mexico. You've represented so many asylum seekers. Do LGBTQ people face additional dangers?"
Crawford concluded by complaining about both the Biden and Trump administrations making it too difficult for asylum seekers to enter:
...But one of the biggest problems that we're running into now in Mexico is these asylum bans that have been brought under both the Trump administration and the Biden administration that makes someone ineligible for asylum if they cross the border without authorization, and this means that you have to go through a port of entry to be eligible for asylum. But the issue is, to approach this port of entry, you have to have an appointment, and you might have to wait six, seven months to get this appointment, and this strains at the LGBTQ refugees like my client, like the folks that you had in Mexico in these dangerous conditions.
Diaz-Balart wrapped up: "What a horrible, horrible reality that I'm so glad that we're -- and I'm so glad that you are -- Bridget -- are doing to shine a light on this. I thank you for being with us this morning, Appreciate it."
Transcript follows:
MSNBC's Jose Diaz Balart Reports
August 9, 2024
11:45 a.m. Eastern
DONALD TRUMP: We are going to start the largest mass deportation in the history of our country because we have no choice. It's not sustainable (editing jump) ... and we're going to start with violent criminals, and we're going to start then with criminals. And our local police is going to work with us because they know everything about the people. They know their names -- they know everything about them.
JOSE DIAZ-BALART: You know, immigration is such a hot political topic, but when you look at it, and when you study it, it really all boils down to people. I want to introduce you to three people who were forced to leave their country of birth and experience the most horrendous abuse on their way to the United States because, for them -- for them -- asylum is literally about life or death.
(...)
What are some of the challenges LGBTQ people face in getting asylum in the U.S.?
BRIDGET CRAWFORD, IMMIGRATION EQUALITY: Well, I mean, I think there are a lot of them unfortunately despite the strength of their underlying claims. You know, the process itself is quite daunting, and there are lots of systemic barriers that make asylum out of reach for people even who should qualify. For example, you know, there are policies that have been brought under both the Biden and the Trump administration that make people presumptively ineligible for asylum depending on whether they entered the country regardless of how strong their underlying claim is.
You know, I think another big challenge for people is navigating this very complex immigration system, often without a lawyer, especially in a language that they may not understand. Studies show that folks who have lawyers are between five and 10 times more likely to win relief, but many asylum seekers, especially if they enter across the southern border, don't have an attorney. And many folks struggle without an attorney to access the evidence that would help them prove their claim. And I think this is particularly pronounced and hard when people are detained. So many asylum seekers are put in immigration jails just because they asked for asylum and assistance. And LGBTQ people face particularly abusive conditions in U.S. immigration jails and often struggle to find lawyers or even prepare their cases.
DIAZ-BALART: Yeah, I mean, so many people who make the journey to the United States in the last couple of years tell us that the worst part of their journey is when they have to go through Mexico. You've represented so many asylum seekers. Do LGBTQ people face additional dangers?
CRAWFORD: Yes. I mean, this is so consistent with what we've seen. Mexico is an asylum-producing country, meaning that we have lots of Mexicans who win their cases for asylum because of what they face in Mexico. And the situation is often worse for refugees from other countries traveling through Mexico who may not have any support system...
(...)
...But one of the biggest problems that we're running into now in Mexico is these asylum bans that have been brought under both the Trump administration and the Biden administration that makes someone ineligible for asylum if they cross the border without authorization, and this means that you have to go through a port of entry to be eligible for asylum. But the issue is, to approach this port of entry, you have to have an appointment, and you might have to wait six, seven months to get this appointment, and this strains at the LGBTQ refugees like my client, like the folks that you had in Mexico in these dangerous conditions.
DIAZ-BALART: What a horrible, horrible reality that I'm so glad that we're -- and I'm so glad that you are -- Bridget -- are doing to shine a light on this. I thank you for being with us this morning, Appreciate it.
