CLEVELAND — When someone seeks asylum, they are usually fleeing persecution, violence or conflict in their country. However, part of President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration makes it harder for asylum seekers to cross the southern border.
While fear is growing among undocumented immigrants, others are supportive of the immigration crackdown.
Worry and anxiety are consuming undocumented immigrants like John, who didn’t want to give his real name or show his face as he spoke to News 5 through a translator.
He said he came to the U.S. illegally in April 2024 from Hidalgo, Mexico, crossing the border through the river. He stated it was his only option after organized crime groups made life in his city unlivable.
“If someone opens a business, the organized criminal groups will ask you to pay a fee to them. If you have cash on you, they’ll ask for money—1000 pesos or $100—and you risk losing your life. They can take your belongings, that’s the best-case scenario. But other times, they can kill you,” John said.
Now, John is seeking asylum but is also terrified of being sent back.
“I fear going back because of the insecurity, the organized crime, the violence,” John said.
Immigration attorney Margaret Wong said that in the past, people could seek asylum once they were already in the U.S. or at the southern border.
“Once you say, ‘I want to apply for asylum,’ the law has always been that they allow you to come in and file the paperwork, or at the border, they give you a fear interview. If you pass that fear interview, then you’re allowed to come in and wait for the process to start,” Wong said.
But that changed in January after Trump required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their papers are processed, raising concerns about safety and affordability.
“Mexico can't afford all these people from Venezuela, from any other countries, to come stay in Mexico and wait for the asylum process. Sometimes, asylum process takes years,” Wong said.
Shannon Burns, the president of Strongsville GOP, supports Trump’s immigration efforts.
“International law requires asylum seekers to ask for asylum at the first border they cross,” Burns said.
Burns said the measures aren’t an attack on asylum seekers but rather a focus on individuals they believe weren’t properly vetted before entering the country.
“They were just allowing people to come in and keeping the border open and using the term asylum as their excuse. Clearly, that wasn't the case,” Burns said.
Burns reiterated the president is targeting criminals, which John also understands.
“Talking with my friends and family, I often give them the example that you wouldn't open the door of your house to anyone, you would want to know who's coming in,” John said.
But John doesn't believe that every immigrant should be punished for the actions of a few.
“There should be a better way to get these people who have committed serious crimes in this country, because in the search for one person who's committed a crime. They're taking away 10 people who have come here to work and who haven't done anything wrong,” John said.
For both documented and undocumented immigrants already in the U.S., they can still apply for asylum, but it’s unclear how long it will take for their case to be processed.
Applicants for asylum are generally not deported while their case is pending unless they have a criminal history. If their application is denied, deportation could follow.
