Migrants are free to seek legal asylum in U.S. (letter to the editor)

In a recent letter to the Staten Island Advance, Ms. Cathy Vitale said (referring to migrants): “They are not innocent. They broke the law by coming here unvetted.”

First, Under U.S. law, people who flee their countries because they fear persecution can apply for asylum. If they are granted asylum, this gives them protection and the right to stay in the United States.

And further, the United States is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”

However, if it turns out that the person seeking asylum has committed crimes, etc.,their request for asylum can be denied.

(Dr. Rudolph Ripp is a St. George resident.)

https://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/2014/04/submit_your_letter_to_the_edit.html