New Bill Targets Asylum Claims from Returning Foreigners

On Thursday, Republican leaders unveiled a new bill aimed at preventing foreigners who return to their home countries from seeking asylum in the U.S. This move follows revelations that the family of Qasem Soleimani, a deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, resides in Los Angeles.

Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, Soleimani’s niece, and her daughter were detained by ICE after Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted Afshar’s vocal support for a certain agenda. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), her asylum application from 2019 was determined to be fraudulent. It noted that she had returned to Iran several times while claiming asylum.

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), who’s also a candidate for the governor of Wisconsin, supported DHS’s conclusion, stating that Afshar’s asylum claim was not credible. He emphasized that the bill, dubbed the SAFER Act, would guarantee that the asylum system only accommodates those with genuine fears of persecution.

In Tiffany’s view, if an individual is truly fleeing danger, they shouldn’t be able to travel back to that same danger while claiming asylum. He remarked, “People who are truly running away from danger don’t book a round-trip ticket back from danger.”

Afshar was granted asylum during the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency but had returned to Iran multiple times before receiving a green card under the Biden administration.

Under the proposed legislation, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General would be barred from granting asylum to anyone returning to their home country. However, they would also have the authority to revoke asylum status for anyone who voluntarily goes back to their origin while residing in the U.S.

The bill posits that individuals could return home without facing federal consequences if the State Department certifies a lawful transfer of authority and that the original threat has been resolved.

“The SAFER Act will stop asylum fraudsters from abusing our system and ensure they are removed from the United States,” Tiffany stated.

This month, the State Department rescinded the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir Larijani, whose father was a former Iranian official, along with her husband. Both individuals are now outside of the U.S. and have been barred from re-entry.