Refugees and U.S. Asylum Seekers from Central America

GAO discussed the political and economic conditions in Central America which have resulted in refugees seeking political asylum in the United States. GAO found that: (1) armed conflicts, economic hardships, human rights violations, and natural disasters have resulted in a significant number of refugees from Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala; (2) elections in El Salvador, political instability in Guatemala, and the armed conflict and a hurricane in Nicaragua could increase the number of Central American refugees; (3) the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) reported that applications for political asylum had increased to over 50,000 in fiscal year 1988; (4) INS estimated that up to 200,000 Nicaraguan refugees were residing in the United States illegally; (5) INS received special directives to encourage Nicaraguan refugees who were denied asylum to reapply to ensure that those with a well-founded fear of persecution would remain in the United States; and (6) INS expedited asylum adjudications, detention, or deportation of unqualified applicants to cope with a potential influx of Central American refugees into the United States. GAO also found that: (1) the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees has provided temporary shelter, food, health, and other humanitarian services to about 120,000 Central American refugees; (2) a proposed amendment would have allowed aliens from certain countries to remain and work in the United States temporarily; and (3) the influx of refugees has impacted on local service providers and social service programs.