Alejandro Mayorkas still isn't calling it an immigration crisis

But last year, 800,000 people applied for asylum, an increase of 63 percent compared to the previous year. So it may not be a new problem, but it is certainly a growing problem. It most certainly is. We return to what we discussed a few minutes ago. Why are more and more people fleeing their home countries? Why do they seek asylum in the United States?

But the asylum system as it stands now is essentially one of the best ways to enter and stay in the United States. Because it takes years. And as we said: when you reach the border, you say you are seeking asylum. And part of the problem is determining who has legitimate claims. Not everyone who comes to ask for asylum is actually a legitimate asylum seeker. Migrants understand and know, as we said, how the system works. I've been to the border. I've been with migrants. Some of them are fleeing persecution, but some of them understandably come here in search of a better life. Absolutely correct. And our asylum system is designed with an initial evidentiary threshold that must be met. One must demonstrate a credible fear of persecution, and that is an intentionally low standard under the law, and the policy behind that is to ensure that we don't accidentally send someone back to persecution. And so it's a low standard. The ultimate asylum standard, the merits stage – that standard is higher, and the difficulty is that a large number qualify under that lower standard and historically do qualify, and many fewer end up qualifying, but time between those moments of trial amounts to years.

I guess I'm wondering whether, broadly speaking, you feel that the asylum system as it was conceived by the United Nations seventy years ago is, at this moment you mention, so different from what has happened before? I think the asylum system needs reform. It's why three senators have taken the lead in their efforts to reform the country. And I won't go into detail about what those reforms should be, because that's basically the subject of the legislation that's being negotiated.

I want to ask you about one provision of that Senate bill. President Biden recently spoke out in support of the provision, saying it would give him the authority to close the border once border disputes reach a certain number. Do you support that idea? And do you find it practical? You know, I don't want to get into what the legislation will and won't contain. I won't do that. I must respect the senatorial process that is in full swing.

Do you think what's happening at the southern border makes it harder to argue for expansion? legal migration in this country? That by the existence of the problem we will in fact not deliver part of the solution? You rightly note that many migrants come for economic opportunity and ultimately do not qualify for asylum. Wouldn't it be more orderly, and wouldn't it be responsible governance, if we were able to provide a legal path to meet what we have, which is a labor need, and cut out the exploitative traffickers and give individuals a path to gain weight legally? , do the work we need safely and in an orderly manner? They can send money home. They can return home when their work is done. Isn't that part of a workable immigration system?