The "credible fear" standard of U.S. asylum law allows people who enter the U.S. without permission to stay in the U.S. if they "have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution" because of their "race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion if returned" to their homelands. In 2019, associate ICE director Nathalie R. Asher testified to Congress that "about 12 out of every 100 credible fear claims result in a grant of asylum." She also testified that U.S. asylum law "creates a pull factor" for illegal immigration because it allows "those without valid claims to remain in the United States." She added that this situation "inhibits the government's ability" to address legitimate claims of asylum in a timely manner.