President Donald Trump is proposing charging asylum seekers a fee to process their applications as he continues to try to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants seeking to cross into the US. Most of those arriving say they are fleeing violence and poverty, and many request asylum under US and international law. And he is directing officials to begin charging a fee to process asylum and employment authorization applications, which do not currently require payment. But seeking asylum, spokesman Charlie Yaxley said, "is a fundamental human right, and people should be allowed to exercise those rights when seeking to seek asylum." Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in early April amid Trump's increasing frustration over how many Central American families were crossing the US-Mexico border.

Source: The Telegraph April 30, 2019 15:11 UTC