A proposed regulation would allow asylum officers to deny claims
of migrants convicted of a serious crime, linked to terrorism or
posing other dangers to public safety, the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security said in a press release. The rejections could
take place in days instead of a process that can take years, DHS
said.
Reuters and other outlets reported the plans on Wednesday.
The measure will be limited in scope, potentially applying to
thousands of asylum seekers per year, sources told Reuters. That
would be a fraction of the 1 million caught crossing illegally
from Oct. 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
A DHS official on a call with reporters declined to offer an
estimate of how many asylum seekers could be rejected under the
proposal.
"We don’t think that the rule will apply to large numbers of
people, but it will apply to the people that we are most
concerned about," the official said.
U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking reelection in
November, took office in 2021 promising a more humane approach
to border security compared to his predecessor former President
Donald Trump, an immigration hardliner.
Biden has toughened his approach to border security in recent
months as immigration has emerged as a top concern among voters.
Trump, a Republican, is challenging Biden in the election and
has criticized his administration for reversing some restrictive
border policies.
The Biden administration has weighed using executive action to
block many asylum seekers at the border if crossings reach a
certain level but has not yet taken that step.
The proposed regulation to more quickly deny asylum seekers
deemed to be criminal or security threats will be issued on
Monday and be open to public comment for 30 days. The Biden
administration intends to finalize it this year, the DHS
official said, requesting anonymity as a condition of the call.
Under separate guidance issued on Thursday, U.S. asylum officers
will evaluate during all initial asylum screenings whether
asylum seekers could have moved to another part of their home
country to find safety rather than travel to the U.S.
The latest moves follow a restrictive asylum regulation issued
by Biden last year.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Mica
Rosenberg and Alistair Bell)
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