President Joe Biden‘s administration on Wednesday proposed a measure looking to streamline the U.S. asylum system, speeding up the processing of migrants seeking refuge from across borders.
The proposal comes as migrant apprehensions at the U.S. southern border reach a 21-year high, with at least 1.3 million encounters, according to Customs and Board Protection. The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security published the proposed rule that seeks to end a yearslong backlog in immigrant court cases and reduce the time it takes migrants seeking asylum to hear if their request is fulfilled.
“Individuals who are eligible will receive relief more swiftly, while those who are not eligible will be expeditiously removed,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement announcing the proposed rule. “We are building an immigration system that is designed to ensure due process, respect human dignity, and promote equity.”
The rule, which stems from the rapid influx of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years, has been expected for some time and would significantly alter the U.S. immigration policy, marking one of the largest changes since the president took office.
MIGRANTS RETURNED TO MEXICO UNDER TRUMP WILL GET ANOTHER CHANCE TO HAVE ASYLUM CASES HEARD
If enacted, the plan would allow for migrants who establish a credible fear of removal to have their case heard by an asylum officer working for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rather than an immigration judge.
If asylum-seekers are denied, the new process would allow persons seeking asylum to request an administrative review by an immigration judge and ultimately appeal the decision too. In order to counter the expected uptick in workload from the change, DHS plans to hire 1,000 asylum officers and 1,000 support staff, according to the Associated Press.
Mayorkas said the rule will allow eligible members to “receive relief more swiftly,” while those who are not will be “expeditiously removed.”
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The proposal will need to go through a public comment period before it can be implemented as policy, the joint proposal said, adding that comments will soon be accepted through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
“A system that takes years to reach a result is simply not a functional one,” the agencies wrote in the rule. “It delays justice and certainty for those who need protection, and it encourages abuse by those who will not qualify for protection and smugglers who exploit the delay for profit.”
