In 2005 the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) found that asylum seekers are treated like criminals in the U.S. immigration system and that they do not have consistent access to legal counsel to pursue their claims. A "report card" released in January 2007 found that two years later, the Department of Homeland Security had taken no action to correct these problems.

USCIRF’s “Expedited Removal Study Score Card: 2 Years Later” (February 2007)

• summary
• full report

• executive summary         
• full report

National Immigrant Justice Center Urges Congress to Pass Legislation Protecting Human Rights of Asylum Seekers (February 2008)

National Immigrant Justice Center Fact Sheet on Asylum Seekers and Expedited Removal (February 2008)