Mexican Newspaper Says Asylum Claims Have Shot Up 260% Since 2012

A report from the Mexican newspaper El Universal states that the number of asylum claims by Mexican nationals in fiscal year 2013 so far has jumped 260% over the entire year of 2012. This provides another confirmation of the story about the flood of Mexican asylum claims that Breitbart News broke nationally two weeks ago.

In the article, “U.S. Asylum Claims Increase 260%,” the author states:

The number of applications for asylum received by the USA as a result of the violence produced by organized crime in Mexico rose from 4,042 applications in fiscal year 2012 to 14,610 in 2013.

The U.S. fiscal year runs from October to September, nonetheless the 14,610 applications encompass October 2012 to June 2013.

The article goes on to explain that these claims were made by people at the Mexican/United States border:

Under the U.S. system there exist two ways of applying for asylum: one is in U.S. territory, which is known as “affirmative”; the second is going to the border or “defensive.” So it stands out that the 14,610 applications registered from September 2012 to this June 2013 were made at the border, or “defensively.”

This substantial increase comes on the heels of other large increases over the past decade. For example, in 2003 there were only 35 asylum claims by Mexican nationals according to the El Universal article. The increases seem to come from both heavier drug cartel violence and a change in policy by the Obama administration that was outlined last week in a letter from House Oversight Chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) to the Department of Homeland Security. The new Obama policy sets asylum claimants free on their own recognizance by default. El Universal says:

Information indicates that in fiscal year 2012, which encompasses October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012, the U.S. registered 4,042 applications for asylum in the ports of entry. The majority of these being under a claim of receiving threats from drug trafficking groups.

El Universal is a respected newspaper based in Mexico City. Its website is ranked by Alexa as the second most visited news site in Mexico.