Asylum Applications Under Scrutiny In Congress
February 11, 2014
Members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee hosted a hearing Tuesday looking into allegations of fraud among asylum applicants. This is the second hearing on the subject since December.
Committee members discussed a 2009 Department of Homeland Security investigation into 239 asylum cases dating back to 2005. Of those applications, 12 percent were proven to be fraudulent, while another 58 percent indicated possible fraud.
Asylum petitions more than doubled from 2012 to 2013. A witness at the hearing stressed the need for more recent data. Another testified in favor of including the U.S. State Department in overseas investigations of asylum claims. A third urged funding for more asylum officers to help relieve an overburdened court.
