GENEVA, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations' Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday said it had expressed its concerns about the new asylum restrictions put in place by the U.S. administration, saying this measure will put vulnerable people and families at risk.
Elizabeth Throssell, for the UNHCR, said during a press briefing here that the UNHCR understood that the U.S. asylum system was under strain, but it believed that the U.S. new policy is undermining efforts across the region to devise a coherent and collective response to the crisis.
She added that the interim rule excessively curtailed the right to apply for asylum, jeopardized the protection from refoulement.
It significantly raised the burden of proof on asylum seekers, beyond international legal standards, and it was not in line with international obligations, she said.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday said it would raise its application threshold for asylum, potentially slowing down the flow of immigrants.
The new rule, expected to go into effect Tuesday, would prevent immigrants from applying for U.S. asylum if they arrive through a third country, significantly affecting large number of Central American immigrants who come to the U.S. southern border through Mexico.
