The 'Shout Test': Migrants' Struggles Under New Asylum Rules

Under new U.S. asylum rules, migrants must explicitly express fears of deportation to trigger a screening process. President Biden's administration has suspended automatic asylum at the border, leading to lower arrest rates but raising concerns from immigration advocates about overlooked distress signals and fairness in the process.

Posters inside a complex of giant, white tents tell migrants in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Hindi that if they fear deportation, they should inform an officer, promising, "your claim will be heard." A looping video in the processing area conveys the same message.

Departing from a practice in place since 1997, Border Patrol agents at the holding facility in Tucson, Arizona, and across the country no longer ask migrants if they fear deportation. The Biden administration temporarily suspended asylum at the border on June 5, and now, agents do not prompt this question. Migrants must bring it up themselves.

Immigration advocates call it the "shout test," implying migrants must vocally express their fears. Agents undergo training to recognize non-verbal distress signals like crying or shaking and refer migrants for screening if genuine distress is apparent. If not screened, migrants can be immediately deported.

(With inputs from agencies.)