I am usually not shocked about things Trump does and says. However, I found myself stunned by his words yesterday about Jamal Khashoggi: “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.”

The “thing” that happened was his murder and dismemberment by his government because he was a journalist who was critical of his government. The person it happened to was a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

It is of little surprise that Trump would be trying to completely dismantle the asylum system. How is he doing this?

• People allowed into the country to seek asylum have seen their cases dismissed and they have been detained and removed.

• People who have filed for asylum before the immigration judge and are awaiting their final hearing are being detained

• He is setting up agreements with third countries to accept asylum seekers, then dismissing their asylum applications here in the United States and sending them to these third countries

• For people who have been granted withholding of removal or Convention Against Torture relief – two laws that state we are required to protect the person from removal to their home country because it is more likely than not that they would be persecuted or tortured – are being detained and sent to countries around the world

• The Board of Immigration Appeals – part of the Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice – is issuing precedent decisions at record pace, each one chipping away at asylum eligibility

• He created an asylum filing fee for the first time in our history, initially set at $100 but the law allows it to be increased

• He created an annual asylum fee for the first time in our history – this means that people with no control over how long their cases will take because of government backlogs have to pay an annual fee for the privilege of being stuck in the system. If they forget to pay, their cases will be denied.

• He asylum seekers who are not detained can apply for employment authorization after 6 months. He added a $550 fee to request that first work permit, making it extremely expensive to live in the US while you wait for a decision.

This is all just a sample of what he has done. He’s only been in office for 10 months, and he’s not finished yet. We are not protecting people, we are denying them due process, and asylum seekers are now afraid to apply for asylum. But I guess “things happen.”