Trump administration plans push at UN to restrict global asylum rights
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration plans to call for sharply narrowing the right to asylum at the United Nations later this month, documents show, as it seeks to undo the post-World War Two framework around humanitarian protection.
State Department officials sketched out plans for an event later this month on the sidelines of the U.N.’s annual general assembly meeting that would call for reframing the global approach to asylum and immigration to reflect Trump’s restrictive stance, according to two internal planning documents reviewed by Reuters and a State Department spokesperson.
Under the proposed framework, asylum seekers would be required to claim protection in the first country they enter, not a nation of their choosing, the spokesperson said. Asylum would be temporary and the host country would decide whether conditions in their home country had improved enough to return, a major shift from how asylum works in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Trump’s administration has already rewritten the U.S. approach to immigration, prioritizing white South Africans for entry and forcefully detaining those in the country illegally. With the U.N. event, Trump would be taking that restrictive vision global, urging its adoption by the world body that established the international legal framework for the right to seek asylum.
One of the documents describes migration as “a defining challenge for the world in the 21st century” and says asylum “is routinely abused to enable economic migration.” It calls for reforming the global approach to migration worldwide and greatly limiting the ability of people to seek asylum.
Mark Hetfield, president of the refugee resettlement group HIAS, defended the existing global agreements as ensuring people would never be subject to persecution without an escape route.
“Right now, if someone comes to the border of any country because they are fleeing for their lives on the basis of race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion, they have the right to protection,” Hetfield said. “If it were to change, we’d be back to the situation we were in during the Holocaust.”
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau would lead the side event at the U.N., according to the planning document.
In a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, Andrew Veprek, Trump’s nominee to run the State Department’s refugee division, called for reshaping the global approach to asylum.
“Perhaps the most important root cause of the mass and illegal migration today is the abuse of refugee and asylum systems,” Veprek said. “The current framework of international agreements and norms on migration developed after the Second World War in a completely different geopolitical and economic context. It cannot be expected to function in our modern world, and indeed it does not.”
SHIFT IN THE U.S. APPROACH TO MIGRATION
Adoption of the plan would mark a stunning shift in the global order for migration, going beyond Trump’s hardline approach in his 2017-2021 presidency.
Global compacts signed by most of the world’s countries in 1951 and 1967 established a framework for someone fleeing persecution to seek asylum at another country’s borders. The U.S. and other nations in recent years have begun to adopt more restrictive stances.
The U.S. could not unilaterally scrap the global refugee pacts, however, and while some like-minded governments may support the effort, there have been no signs of broad support for a worldwide realignment.
At a meeting of the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration on Tuesday, top Trump refugee official Spencer Chretien said the Trump administration would seek to replace the decades-old global accords and “build a new framework,” according to meeting notes shared with Reuters.
Bureau staff were told the group itself, already gutted as part of mass layoffs at the State Department in July, would refocus on migration diplomacy and disaster response rather than its traditional refugee focus.
Chretien said the top goal for the bureau – set by the highest levels of the White House – would be resettling white South Africans from the country’s Dutch-descended Afrikaner minority.
“This is our overriding objective,” Chretien said, according to the notes. “And frankly, we’re under a good amount of pressure to ramp up the pace of this program and produce arrivals quickly.”
Trump froze refugee admissions from countries around the world when he took office in January, but weeks later called for Afrikaners to be prioritized. The first group of 59 South Africans arrived in May. As of Monday, 138 in total had arrived, one U.S. official said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal figures.
Reuters reported in August that Trump officials were discussing setting a refugee admission ceiling of 40,000 people in fiscal year 2026 with a heavy focus on Afrikaners. The administration has since discussed a ceiling as high as 60,000, the U.S. official said.
An internal document drafted by officials in the State Department and U.S. Health and Human Services Department in April suggested the Trump administration could also prioritize bringing in Europeans as refugees if they were targeted for expressing certain views, such as opposition to mass migration or support for populist political parties.
Shows
See AllAM Live
AM Live is NTV's morning current affairs show that sets the agenda for the day with insightful panels every weekday.
Business Redefined
Business Redefined is Kenya’s premier thought leadership platform for unpacking matters regarding economic and finance policy as well demystifying complex developments in the region’s capital markets.
Comedies
A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula
Creatives & Coins Podcast
A podcast that dives deep into the vibrant and rapidly evolving digital creative economy in Kenya. This show explores the lives, challenges, and triumphs of individuals who are successfully navigating the gig and creative economies. From digital artists and content creators to freelance writers and tech entrepreneurs, we spotlight the voices that are shaping the future of work in Kenya.
Documentaries
A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula
Entertainment
A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula
Fixing The Nation
Fixing the Nation is a bold and groundbreaking show that will take an unflinching look at challenges facing the Kenyan society and the solutions that can move us forward. It is anchored by respected journalists Eric Lattif, Janet Mbugua, and Mariam Bishar. Podcast created by: Nation FM
Fixing the Nation
Fixing the Nation is a bold and groundbreaking show that will take an unflinching look at challenges facing the Kenyan society and the solutions that can move us forward. It is anchored by respected journalists Eric Lattif, Janet Mbugua, and Mariam Bishar
Full Episodes
A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula
Gumzo La Sato
Gumzo La Sato is a live social issues show that aims to create awareness about issues affecting the larger society. The discussions range from Parenting, Marital bliss and struggles, Oppression, violence, and all matters of the Heart.
Health Diary
Health Diary is a weekly show that highlights different types of diseases/conditions and seeks ways to prevent, treat/manage them. The show debunks this through real life stories and also feature specialists in different fields, to offer medical advice on the same.
Letter To My Younger Self
Letter To My Younger Self is a podcast where guests get to write a letter to their younger self, from which Maxine formulates questions to ask them during the hour-long show.
Nation Reports
Nation Reports is a weekly podcast offers an opportunity for listeners to interact with various reporters and journey with them as they unravel the biggest most emotive stories.
One Health Lens Podcast
Discussing health matters and human stories from Kenya and across Africa. We talk big picture from people to policy, ecosystems, and everything in between. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/onehealthlens
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost peeks through the story of Louis Otieno, the times, and everything in between.
Primetime
A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula
Speaking of GEN Z
Speaking of Gen Z brings you entertaining but meaningful conversations about a generation that is trying to navigate through adulthood. Join hosts Michelle, Jackie and Esther as they unravel all things Gen Z.
Sport On
Sport-On is a 30-minute sports magazine show on NTV and 3 hours on NATION FM. The show seeks to give the sports “fanatics” and “funatics” comprehensive and in-depth coverage of sports both locally and internationally.
Tech-over
The extent of technological growth is beyond mere acknowledgment; it has seamlessly integrated into our daily existence. A few years ago, the notion of paying electricity bills through mobile money or recharging with 'tokens' in Kenya seemed inconceivable. Online product sales were considered distant, and artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping various facets of our lives. Amidst these technological leaps, those with a solid understanding of tech can navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and build a sustainable livelihood. Tech over Show aims to be the platform facilitating discussions among thought leaders, innovators, tech companies, and the government, addressing challenges and opportunities in Kenya's thriving tech industry.
Thamani
Thamani is a business show which is dedicated to emerging issues regarding micro, small and medium size businesses.
The Politalk podcast
This is The Politalk podcast. Here we look into the ins and outs of everything Kenyan politics. We pull no punches and have no reason to sugarcoat anything that matters to Kenyans.
The Trend
A two-hour-long live show that airs on Fridays. The show focuses on what is current in the entertainment industry, controversial and popular across all media platforms targeting those aged between 25 and 35 years.
The trend podcast
The trend podcast highlights and captures the best of banter from #TTTT segment that airs every Friday on NTV. It's the TTTT EXTRA
The Wicked Edition
The Wicked Edition with Dr. King’ori seeks to address serious issues through humour and relatable wit. It is a two-part half hour show filmed in front of a live audience
Trending
A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula A collection of our premium content. Diam curabitur vehicula
Twende
Twende is a travel show that highlights beautiful, unique, diverse locations, people, and cultures. The show offers fresh perspectives on familiar locations and memorable experiences in new ones.
Unscripted
This Saturday evening lifestyle show lets viewers share their stories and life experiences as openly & honestly for the purpose of shifting the culture of silence.
VIP Access
VIP ACCESS is Anyiko Owoko’s YouTube and podcast show on Music and Culture dedicated to promoting Africa’s most promising talent and creatives. This podcast grants you VIP access into timeless interviews while providing a platform for rising as well as established artists across the continent. Since launching in 2018, Anyiko has interviewed over 70 African music stars.
WADR
This weekly news show aims to have all sides of debate but not be constrained by it, listen to main voices in the contest but not allow them to hold the viewers hostage, entertain debate but allow push back with all due respect.
When death do us part
In this podcast, three widowers openly speak about the process of grief, how they found themselves exposed to the emotional turmoil of losing their wives, and how society still does not know how to deal with them.
Your World
Your World is a health, wellness and variety show. It provides a platform for audiences and experts to share their experiences on how to improve or manage health issues, across Kenya and the Africa region.