Asylum claims up in US , migration down in developed world

PARIS (AP) — Asylum claims rose sharply in the United States last year but migration declined overall in the developed world for the first time since 2011, according to a new report from an economic organization representing the world’s wealthiest countries.

Asylum claims rose 26 percent in the United States, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Wednesday, adding that migration for economic and political reasons is unlikely to diminish in coming years. The group said countries need to find ways to prepare their native-born populations and integrate new foreign residents.

The report found a growing share of the population in the OECD’s 35 member countries, including the United States and Western Europe, was born abroad — up from 9 percent in 2000 to 13 percent in 2017.