DHS Insider Exposes 'Reasonable Fear' Migrant Asylum Loophole - Goes Public
DHS Insider Who Exposed 'Reasonable Fear' Migrant Asylum Loophole Goes Public:
Transcript (auto generated):
So you blew the whistle on DHS. The last time you spoke to us in the shadows you told us about some violent criminals, including members of the 18th street gang obtaining work visas applying to sponsor unaccompanied minor children.
We know what they're involved in specifically sex trafficking. Who is trying to become the sponsor for one of these children.
If in that time you inform the us government that you have some type of fear of that your life is in jeopardy and you're put in what's called reasonable fear - and there's also credible fear. Once you once you make the declaration of "my life is in danger i'm you know I may be harmed if I'm returned home" you're taken off the watch list. And so that makes it the giant loophole.
Are you willing to go public?
I am.
Tell us who you are and what you do.
My name is Aaron Stevenson. I'm a federal employee with Department of Homeland Security. Officially I'm a intelligence research specialist for uscis
So these guys are trafficked kidnapped smuggled children and they're let into the country because they claim a quote reasonable fear for their safety if they go back to their home country?
Correct.
And that in your view that's a loophole?
Well it is because it's an informal interview done with an asylum officer in which if there's any if there's any evidence provided at all it's not able to be viewed outside of their own their own workforce.
Do they deny the reasonable fear?
You will see plenty that get picked up by Border Patrol or CBP and in the initial interview they asked them like "do you have a fear of being returned home your country?" You will see all the time they say no.
And then a day later - two days later - when they begin their processing to be removed they will then say "oh no yeah totally I have a fear to be removed."
So eventually they'll get the reasonable fear expectation?
They just have to keep appealing it. Yes. So there's nothing. There's still there's no brakes on the car.
What made you decide to go public?
This is going to be the the biggest change to immigration policy in my lifetime. It's being done without anybody knowing what's going on about it and there's been no coverage for the American people to know what's going on.
So what are we looking at here this is a an email sent out by the director of USCIS, which notified us about a rule change coming forward which is going to shift the adjudicative authority of defense of asylum away from immigration judges and giving it to asylum officers which are USCIS.
Okay. So this is public information?
It is yes. This is a proposed rule. They want to expedite the adjudication process to get immigrants into the United States.
Is the USCIS a taxpayer-funded agency?
No. So USCIS is fee funded. All of its operations. All of its overhead - everything - is based on the fees that are filed by aliens when they adjust aliens. Of course paying anybody is not a U.S. citizen.
Why should people be concerned about the USCIS charging these fees for these processes?
There leaves very little accountability to the public when this kind of operation exists.
And when you couple that with giving the adjudicative authority away from an immigration judge to an asylum officer you're removing any type of public pressure that they could apply on policies that they're creating then if asylum officers get this ability to do so
I will say it's going to be a rubber stamp of immediately getting credible fear or reasonable fear to be able to stay in the country. If they're going to be deported but then an immediate process right away to show that they're going to be getting defensive asylum and that's going to exist very quickly.
Also their path to citizenship within a year of getting defensive asylum. They can adjust their status to a foreign resident or an LPR. Three years from there they can apply to naturalize to become a U.S. Citizen. So it's fast tracking, and that's the only thing that that this is looking to consider.
In the the actual rule proposal it's looking to make it quicker. That's it. They don't want to backlog. It's not over until the alien wins.
We know what's going to happen. We know that we have no teeth. We have no ability to to stop any type of actual benefit being provided right whether the person is an attack alien, a terrorist, a nefarious state actor, All sorts of them.
It's not over until the alien wins?
Right because they'll just appeal whatever the decision is and eventually win they'll keep going to court until they win.
You're telling me that the transference from immigration judges to USCIS effectively means no accountability and there'll be none?
Again USCIS is a fee funded agency so it's not like even congress can really put the squeeze on politically.
And this has inspired you to come out to Project Veritas?
It has.
What is your employment status right now?
I'm a dated employee. I currently work. I work for headquarters under USCIS but I'm a remote employee.
So what do you think they're going to do in response to you speaking to me?
I'll lose my job.
Are you afraid of that?
No because I think this is more urgent for people to realize because this policy change is going to continue to drive in any alien that that they deem fit.
This will drive a massive swing in immigration law.
So there's a website: regulations.gov. Your voice and federal decision making.
I've frankly never heard of this before and you can attach files and comment on on what the federal government is doing. So this appears to be a call to action for american citizens to be engaged. To let their voices heard to to the bureaucracy there and in the federal government?
Correct.
And this one ends on the 18th...
What's next for you?
My take right now is not focused on myself enough to to get beyond this point.
My point right now is this thing has to get done. First I've been doing a federal service for basically my entire career. I did eight years in the Marines. I contracted for for two and a half years after that but for DOD and then I've been working as a federal employee since 2012. I've been there for seven and a half years. Like I'm not going to get my pension. I'm not.
Giving up your pension?
Well I'm not going to get one because I won't have enough time anymore.
You're going to inspire other people to come out.
Right. I hope but a lot of it is too because I do tell my kids like you always have to do the right thing. However you define what's right in your life like you know you have your own moral compass follow it. There's more out there than just you so when you come across something that's wrong you you have to be willing to stand up to it.
And if no one does then it's on you. You have to. Some people oscillate between despair and hopelessness.
I think you said something a little profound.
I wouldn't say it's going to be it wouldn't oscillate it I would say it's more of an order in which it's going to be despair than hope.
So you're actually hopeful?
I am
How so?
Because the despair part is realizing all these things going on right now this is just one small part. When people leave comments on that page and when people call the representative when they call their senators - however they want to do it
I think that that's going to be a good start.
So you think it'll get worse before it gets better?
Yes. Sort of has to get worse before it gets better. It's like a sickness you're going to get sicker before you get better