CONFIDENTIAL
FM WASHINGTON
CONFIDENTIAL
#6
160275
MDHIAN 4377
HKD 243/9
!
√ A
TO
IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 557
OF 271956Z FEBRUARY 89
INFO PRIORITY MEXICO CITY, SAN SALVADOR, MANAGUA, SAN JOSE, INFO PRIORITY GUATEMALA CITY, HONG KONG
428.2
NEW MEASURES TO CURB ASYLUM SEEKERS FROM CENTRAL AMERICA SUMMARY
1. IN THE FACE OF MASSIVE INCREASE IN ASYLUM SEEKERS MAINLY FROM NICARAGUA, US INTRODUCE TOUGH NEW MEASURES INVOLVING DETENTION AND EARLY DEPORTATION OF THOSE WHOSE ASYLUM APPLICATIONS FAIL. SOME THOUGHTS ON WHETHER THIS DEVELOPMENT CAN BE USED TO SECURE A MORE UNDERSTANDING US APPROACH TO HONG KONG'S SCREENING POLICY.
DETAIL
2. ASYLUM REQUESTS FROM CENTRAL AMERICANS AT THE BORDER CROSSING POSTS IN SOUTH TEXAS HAVE RISEN ENORMOUSLY IN RECENT MONTHS. THERE WERE JUST OVER 7,000 ASYLUM REQUESTS IN FY85: 50,000 IN FY88 AND IN RECENT WEEKS OVER 1,000 A WEEK. THE IMMIGRATION AND NATURALISATION SERVICE (INS) BELIEVE THAT THERE COULD BE 100,000 REQUESTS IN FY89. 3. THE MAJORITY OF THESE ARE NICARAGUANS ALTHOUGH THERE ARE ALSO SOME FROM EL SALVADOR AND GUATEMALA. UNTIL RECENTLY, THESE IMMIGRANTS FILED ASYLUM REQUESTS AT THE BORDER, AND WERE THEN ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE AREA. MOST MADE THEIR WAY TO THE LARGE NICARAGUAN COMMUNITIES IN MIAMI, LOS ANGELES AND OTHER LARGE US CITIES. THEIR ASYLUM APPLICATIONS WERE EVENTUALLY HEARD IN THESE CITIES. RATES OF APPROVAL VARIED GREATLY. ACCORDING TO OUR CONTACTS, 80 PER CENT OF NICARAGUANS WHOSE APPLICATIONS WERE HEARD IN MIAMI WERE GRANTED ASYLUM (AGAINST 2 PER CENT IN SOUTH TEXAS). THERE WERE ALSO DISPARITIES BETWEEN THE RATE OF APPROVALS FOR NICARAGUANS AND THOSE FROM ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION.
4. THE RISING NUMBERS OF ARRIVALS IN RECENT MONTHS HAVE PUT SEVERE STRAINS ON CIVIC SERVICES PARTICULARLY IN MIAMI AND HAVE LED TO STRAINS WITH THE BLACK COMMUNITY THERE WHO BELIEVED THAT CENTRAL AMERICANS WERE BEING GIVEN PRIORITY FOR JOBS AND SOCIAL SERVICES OVER BLACK RESIDENTS. ON 16 DECEMBER THE INS INTRODUCED A REQUIREMENT THAT THOSE AWAITING ADJUDICATION OF ASYLUM APPLICATIONS SHOULD STAY IN THE SOUTH TEXAS AREA (WHICH MEANT IN MOST CASES TENTED CAMPS). THIS WAS CHALLENGED IN THE COURTS AND A RESTRAINING ORDER WAS GRANTED. A JUDGE LIFTED THAT ORDER WITH EFFECT FROM 20 FEBRUARY, WHICH ALLOWED INS TO INTRODUCE THEIR NEW PLAN.
5. THE TEXT OF THE-INS ANNOUNCEMENT ON 20 FEBRUARY HAS BEEN
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