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EXCLUSIVE: Border Patrol agents are interviewing families for credible fear instead of asylum officers for 1st time, deploying to US largest immigrant family detention facility & expanding WH push for Border Patrol to take over key asylum step lat.ms/2mqC263 @latimes 1/
@latimes 1st Border Patrol agents arrived last wk to start interviews at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, per lawyers there & USCIS personnel - they do not wear Border Patrol green, & say they're being told to identify themselves to families as asylum officers 2/
DHS has provided few details about the Border Patrol asylum training program, but documents and internal communications obtained by @latimes show agents have so far yielded the lower approval rates Stephen Miller, et al, reportedly want - & early problems 3/
As of Aug, Border Patrol agents had completed 178 credible-fear screenings with asylum seekers from 15+ countries — all single adults. They determined 54% met credible-fear standard and 35% didn't. (Agents closed 11%.). While small sample, typically, ~80% pass credible fear. 4/
A CBP timeline says *three times* that Border Patrol agents won't do asylum interviews with family units, & officials told Senate staff in Aug they wouldn't, because it would require addt'l training. Doesn't appear that training occurred before agents began screening families. 5/
Last wk, USCIS asylum division deputy chief sent urgent memo: Border Patrol “under no circumstances” should interview Cubans, only N.Triangle. “No exceptions... [officials] may follow up with you if it is found these assignments occurred in the event we are asked to explain.” 6/
Other ex's, per lawyers in interviews: Border Patrol agents deployed to Dilley to do credible fear are male, effectively preventing clients who’ve suffered from severe sexual or gender-based violence from requesting female asylum officers. 7/
“I’ve personally had conversations w/both President Trump & Stephen Miller...always been my understanding that the reason to have Border Patrol agents do the credible fear interviews is to ensure the asylum process begins [earlier]"- Brandon Judd, Border Patrol union president 8/
Michael Knowles, special representative for federal asylum officers’ union, said members are concerned about Border Patrol doing asylum. “They’re not trained and geared toward refugee protection, any more than I’m trained to go look for tracks in the desert and chase people.” END
