Delaying Work Permits for Asylum Seekers Could Increase Crime

Alex NowrastehPresident Trump issued a presidentialproclamation earlier this week that will further restrict many temporary work visas. With much less fanfare, the administration will also publish a final rule this week that, among other things, would delay issuing work permits to people claiming asylum for a full year. The final rule will expand the period that an applicant for asylum must wait before receiving work authorization from the current 180 days to 365 days.Pending asylum claims can take up to several years to resolve, a situation made more precarious by a backlog of almost1.2 million cases in immigration court and otherchanges to the asylum system. It ’s important that asylum‐​seekers in the United States be able to legally work to support themselves in the meantime as the only other alternatives are welfare, charity, illegal employment, or crime. Surely legal work authorization is preferable to those other options.One possible effect of delaying access to work permits is that some asylum ‐​seekers could turn to crime to support themselves. Not being able to work legally would lower theiropportunity ‐​cost of committing crime. Immigrants in the United States, whetherlegally present orillegally present, are much less crime ‐​prone than native‐​born Americans. One reason for that is their high rate of participation in the labor market. Even illegal immigrants are less crime‐​prone than nativ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs