The Biden administration is set to tighten political asylum applications at the southern border of the United States through a new regulation, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The new rule could be announced as early as Thursday, with the aim of reducing the number of illegal border crossings in this election year.
According to Reuters, insiders said that the regulation will require an assessment of immigrants during the initial asylum screening to determine if they should be barred from seeking asylum and swiftly deported if necessary. The sources requested anonymity. They added that the scope of the measure appears to be limited.
Two of the sources revealed that these immigrants will undergo assessments related to criminal and security threats regarding asylum bans.
One source told Reuters that the new rule will enhance the efficiency of the immigration system by determining whether asylum seekers should be barred during the early screening stages.
The official stated that it will be rolled out as a proposed regulation and finalized later.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
President Biden, a Democrat, is seeking reelection in the November 5th election. Since taking office in 2021, the number of immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border has reached record levels.
Biden’s Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, has criticized Biden for rolling back previous more restrictive policies.
Insiders mentioned that the Biden administration is also considering more comprehensive measures, including utilizing federal regulations deployed in Trump’s travel ban to block asylum seekers and immigrants at the border, but currently has no immediate plans to take that step.
In 2023, Biden implemented new asylum restrictions, but due to a lack of resources to handle arriving immigrants, the policy’s effectiveness has been extremely limited.
Two sources indicated that the regulations expected to be announced this week could mean that thousands of individuals will be deported from the US more quickly each year, but this number remains relatively small compared to the total number of arrests for illegal border crossings.