Cato Institute
Policy Analysis
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24. Branigin, "INS Chief Highlights Reform in Political
Asylum System."
25. IIRIRA, sec. 604, amending 8 U.S.C., sec. 1158.  The
amendments also prohibit the grant of asylum to any appli-
cant who can be returned, pursuant to a bilateral or multi-
lateral agreement, to a country (other than the country of
nationality) in which the alien's life or freedom would not
be threatened and in which that person would have access to
asylum or equivalent temporary protection, unless it is in
the public interest for him or her to receive asylum in the
United States.  Although that provision is currently inap-
plicable because the United States presently has no such
agreements with other countries, for several months in 1996
the U.S. government had been negotiating with Canada regard-
ing an agreement about the treatment of aliens who travel
through one country to another.  The grant of asylum after a
previous asylum application has been denied has also been
prohibited, subject to changed and extraordinary circum-
stances.
26. The required documents are a valid visa or other speci-
fied document authorizing entry and a valid passport or
other suitable travel document.  See INA, secs. 212(a) (7),
235(b) (1) (A) (I), as amended.
27. See INA, secs. 212(a) (6) (C), 235(b) (1) (A) (I), as
amended.  The attorney general also has discretion (but has
chosen for the time being not to exercise it) to apply the
expedited removal procedures to "any and all" people already
in the United States who are accused of having entered the
United States without inspection and who cannot prove that
they have been physically present in the United States
continuously for two years immediately before the determi-
nation of inadmissibility.  See INA, sec. 235(b) (1) (A)
(3), as amended.
28. See INA, sec. 235(b) (1) (A) (ii), as amended.
29. Judicial review of this process is extremely limited.
In most cases, the courts are barred from reviewing the
individual determinations of asylum officers or of the
immigration judges who review their credible fear determina-
tions.  In addition, IIRIRA expressly prohibits courts from
granting any injunction, declaratory or other equitable
relief, or from certifying a class for a class action law
suit.  See INA, secs. 242(a) (2) (A), 242(e), as amended.
Judicial review is limited to only three issues: whether the