Senators want deal with Mexico on asylum seekers

(AP) – U.S. senators are urging the Trump administration to make an agreement with Mexico that would stop some of the 7,000 people traveling north from crossing the border.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Sen. Mike Lee, both Republicans, say a “third-party” agreement would require those asking for asylum to do so in their first country of arrival.

Most of the caravan has come from Honduras and other Central American countries and are currently in Mexico. Many have said they are coming to the U.S. to seek a better life, which would not qualify them for asylum under U.S. laws.

In the letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department on Tuesday, Grassley said asylum seekers arriving to the European Union must register their claims in the first country of arrival.