According to three people with knowledge of the internal plans, the Biden administration is expected to unveil a new rule as early as Thursday that will enable immigration officers to deport people who are not eligible for asylum in the United States at an earlier stage of the procedure.
The individuals, who spoke about the rule before it was formally announced and asked to remain anonymous, said that the Department of Homeland Security would apply the regulation to migrants who claim for asylum after breaking the law and crossing the border into Mexico.
In so-called credible fear interviews, it would direct government asylum officers to implement specific asylum-related restrictions that are already outlined in US law.
The asylum procedure takes years, and this is the first step. Those who make it through these interviews can apply for asylum before an immigration judge; those who don’t can expect an expedited deportation.
Read Also: Countdown For Washington and Idaho Residents: Face REAL ID Deadline for Air Travel
The relatively restricted policy is one of several steps the Biden administration has been exploring to limit access to the U.S. asylum system in response to an increase in applications in recent years, the majority of which have been caused by migrants entering the country illegally across the southern border.
The 212(f) order has been under consideration for months, but the president has not yet made an announcement regarding a final decision.
Even if the new rule won’t have a significant impact on immigration, it does support Mr. Biden’s policy change, as he had previously in his administration pledged to “restore” the asylum system in the United States.
However, in response to unprecedented numbers of migrants being apprehended at the southern border—more than two million in the last two years alone—and the political fallout that followed, Mr. Biden’s administration has implemented and proposed tighter asylum regulations.
Alongside that restriction, the government has opened up previously unheard-of avenues for prospective immigrants to enter the country lawfully.
These include a scheme that permits certain migrants to fly to the United States if they have American sponsors and a phone app that allows migrants in Mexico to book times to be processed at authorized border crossings.
This year, the number of migrants crossing the southern border has fallen by more than 40% after reaching record highs in December. According to internal Border Patrol figures, illegal crossings fell to about 129,000 in April—the second consecutive month of declines.
According to U.S. officials, Mexico’s enhanced measures to prevent migrants from reaching the American border and the rise in deportations are to blame for the sharp decline in migration.
State officials in Texas have also linked their efforts, such as the miles of razor wire they have erected along portions of the border, to the drop in border crossings.
