The Biden administration announced on Monday, September 30th, that new rules are being implemented for the southern border region to enforce stricter asylum restrictions. With the upcoming election, President Biden is keen on reassuring voters on immigration issues, signaling his government’s increasingly tough stance on border security.
Border security and the issue of illegal immigration have been a major vulnerability for the Biden administration and the Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President, Kamala Harris.
The new rules build upon restrictions announced in June, stating that asylum will be prohibited for immigrants when U.S. officials deem the southern border to be overwhelmed.
In June, the rule stipulated that asylum applications could be restricted when the number of immigrants attempting to enter the U.S. through official border ports reached 2500 people per day. To lift the restrictions, the daily entry number must average below 1500 within a week.
The version announced on Monday indicates that the daily count must remain below 1500 continuously for nearly a month to lift the restrictions, and now all children are included in this number, whereas previously only immigrant children from Mexico were considered.
These changes will take effect on Tuesday, making it not only more difficult to lift the restrictions but also more challenging for individuals to apply for asylum when crossing through official border ports into the U.S.
In fact, the restrictions implemented since June have never been lifted because the number of people encountered at the border has never been low enough and for a sufficient duration. This raises questions as to why the government sees the need to further tighten asylum restrictions now. The Department of Homeland Security stated that the average daily encounters of immigrants have decreased to around 1800 people.
A senior government official on Monday stated that it is necessary to extend this deadline to ensure a continuous decline in the number of immigrants, rather than a temporary drop due to a one-time event. The official introduced the stricter restriction measures to reporters on an anonymous basis before they were publicly announced.
Immigrant advocates have strongly criticized the restrictions announced in June, accusing the government of cutting critical protections for those fleeing persecution.
The Biden administration has praised these asylum restrictions, stating that they have resulted in a significant decrease in the number of immigrants traveling to the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security reported on Monday that since the announced changes in June, the number of people encountered daily by the Border Patrol between legal entry points has decreased by over 50%.
In announcing the new rules, the Department of Homeland Security called on Congress to take more actions to address immigration issues.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, along with other party members, have been criticizing the Biden administration for the influx of immigrants at the southern border during their term, claiming that the White House and Harris have not done enough to restrict immigration and protect the border.
On Friday, Harris visited the border area in Arizona for the first time as the Democratic presidential candidate. She walked alongside the tall metal fence separating the U.S. and Mexico, advocating for tightening asylum rules while also promoting a more humane and orderly way to welcome immigrants legally.
Harris stated, “I reject the false choice that says we must choose between border security and establishing a humane and orderly system because we can, and we must, do both.”
The latest restriction measures allow for some exceptions, such as victims of severe human trafficking still being able to apply for asylum.
The government also allows individuals to apply for asylum using the CBP One reservation system, but they must schedule an appointment through the application to go to official border ports.
The government actively encourages immigrants to use this application instead of crossing the border illegally.
According to the new rules, even if the demand far exceeds the daily quota of 1450 reservations, the government will not increase the reservation quota.
(Based on a report from The Associated Press)