WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Monday it did imposing asylum restrictions is getting tougher on the southern border as he becomes increasingly eager to show voters on immigration that he is tough on border security.
The new rules, which tighten restrictions announced in June, bar asylum seekers who U.S. officials believe are overcrowded at the southern border.
Under previous rules, the U.S. could limit access to asylum if the number of migrants trying to enter the country between official border crossings reached 2,500 per day. Daily numbers had to average below 1,500 per day for a week to be lifted.
But the version released on Monday said daily numbers would have to fall below 1,500 for about a month before restrictions could be lifted. And the administration now counts all children toward that figure, whereas previously only migrant children from Mexico were counted.
The changes, which took effect on Tuesday, will make it much harder to lift the restrictions and allow people who enter the country between official border crossings to eventually apply for asylum in the United States.
Immigration advocates have already sharply criticized the restrictions announced in June, saying the administration cuts vital protections for people fleeing persecution.
But the administration has touted its limits on asylum, saying they are in charge to serious descents the number of migrants arriving at the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that since the changes were announced in June, the daily number of people encountered by the Border Patrol between legal border crossings has dropped by more than 50%.
In a statement announcing the new rules, DHS called on Congress to do more to address immigration issues.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and others in his party have slammed the large numbers of migrants arriving at the southern border under the Biden administration, saying the White House and Harris have not done enough to limit migration and secure the border. .
Vice President Kamala Harris visited the border region Arizona on Friday, his first trip as a Democratic candidate. He walked along the high metal fence that separates the United States from Mexico and called for tougher asylum rules while seeking a better way to welcome immigrants legally.
“I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose between protecting our border and creating an orderly, secure and humane system,” Harris said. “We can and must do both.”
The restrictions imposed in June were never lifted because the number of border crossings never decreased sufficiently over a long enough period. The seven-day average was about 1,800 migrant encounters per day, the Department of Homeland Security said.
A senior administration official said Monday that more time is needed to ensure that the reductions in immigration are sustainable and not a one-time event. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to brief reporters on the tougher restrictions before they are made public.
The rule allows for some exceptions. For example, victims of severe forms of human trafficking will still be allowed to apply for asylum.
The administration also allows people who use the CBP One appointment system to apply for asylum, but those people must make an appointment in the program to come to an official border crossing.
The administration has tried to encourage migrants to use the program instead of crossing the border illegally.
But demand far exceeds the 1,450 appointments available daily, and the administration has not said it will increase the number of appointments.