Biden set to tighten asylum access at US-Mexico border

Regulation would require migrants to be assessed at an initial asylum screening stage to see whether they should be barred from asylum

By Reuters
May 09, 2024
Asylum-seeking migrants from India wait by the border wall while waiting to be picked up by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, U.S. April 27, 2024. — Reuters
Asylum-seeking migrants from India wait by the border wall while waiting to be picked up by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, U.S. April 27, 2024. — Reuters 

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration is set to tighten access to asylum at the US-Mexico border via a new regulation that could be issued as soon as Thursday, three sources familiar with the matter said, in a targeted move aimed at reducing illegal crossings.

The regulation would require migrants to be assessed at an initial asylum screening stage to see whether they should be barred from asylum and quickly deported, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal government planning. They added that the measure appeared limited in scope.

The migrants would be assessed for asylum bars related to criminality and security threats, two of the sources said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.