That is what asylum seekers still are...or claiming with some sort of proof or indication that they are, for border agents interviewing them to believe they could meet the criteria as asylum seekers.... However, it takes an immigration court judge to make that legal determination about whether they are actually a legit asylum seeker....and now the backed up wait for a court date is 5 years....simply ridiculous and unacceptable imo!
About 45% of the encounters at the border are denied entry, (illegals) and the rest meet asylum seeker minimums when screened, or are children without accompanied adults.
Our problems imo stem from not staffing and funding our Immigration Courts enough, to allow for years of waiting for these asylum seekers to get their hearing.
If the system were staffed and working properly they should be held in detention for the two weeks it should take at the most to get in front of a judge in an immigration court....and either accepted as legally meeting asylum due to threats, or if denied asylum by the judge.... deported straight from detention.