Biden administration proposes rule that would rapidly reject migrants who are ineligible for asylum

The Biden administration on Thursday proposed a rule that would allow immigration officials to rapidly reject migrants who are ineligible for asylum, casting the new regulation as a measure to enhance border security.

The Biden administration on Thursday proposed a rule that would allow immigration officials to rapidly reject migrants who are ineligible for asylum, casting the new regulation as a measure to enhance border security. The proposed rule, which is narrow in scope, doesn’t change asylum eligibility but would allow immigration officials to more quickly remove migrants who are ineligible for asylum earlier in the asylum process. “The proposed rule we have published today is yet another step in our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the American public by more quickly identifying and removing those individuals who present a security risk and have no legal basis to remain here,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement Thursday. The move comes as the White House has tried to toughen its position on the US-Mexico border and flip the script on Republicans who continue to hammer President Joe Biden on immigration ahead of the November election. Asylum officers, under the proposed rule, would be able to reject asylum claims within days of a migrant being encountered when there is evidence that they pose a national security or public safety risk. Under current procedures, that often happens later in the process. The department also announced Thursday that asylum officers would need to consider whether an asylum seeker could “reasonably relocate to another part of the country of feared persecution when assessing claims” under revised guidance.