Title: Is it legal to cross the U.S. border to seek asylum? | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Headings: Is it legal to cross the U.S. border to seek asylum?
Is it legal to cross the U.S. border to seek asylum?
What is asylum?
Who is an asylum seeker?
Are asylum seekers refugees?
Is seeking asylum legal?
How do people seek asylum at the border?
Where do asylum seekers in the U.S. come from?
How did seeking asylum change under the Trump Administration?
What can President Joe Biden do to help asylum seekers?
How can I help asylum seekers?
How does the IRC help asylum seekers?
Tell U.S. leaders to keep asylum seekers safe

Content: To learn more, read IRC staff attorney Kayla Moore's account of an asylum seeker who had to make his case without a lawyer.) Due to a Trump Administration policy called “Remain in Mexico,” tens of thousands of asylum seekers at the U.S. southern border have had to wait for their immigration court appearance in Mexico. There they've often ended up in unsafe housing, or no housing at all. Women girls, and families with children are at risk of violence, including sexual assault, extortion, kidnapping and homicide. The administration later used COVID-19 as an excuse to turn away asylum seekers altogether
Some individuals who are already in the U.S., such as those who may have entered on a tourist visa or other temporary visa, may also apply for asylum. In those circumstances, the process for asylum varies. Where do asylum seekers in the U.S. come from? In late 2019, Venezuelans and Central Americans were among the largest groups of people to apply for asylum in the U.S.
Three million Venezuelans have left the country since 2015 due to growing insecurity, instability and violence. People living in northern Central American countries such as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are enduring violence akin to a war zone. “The hardest part about living in El Salvador is the violence,” says 23-year-old Valentina, who fled to the U.S. after her family was threatened by gangs. “