US Introduces Rule to Speed ​​Up Processing of Asylum and Deportations at the Border

The administration of President Joe Biden will present a sweeping new regulation on Thursday that aims to speed up the processing of asylum and deportations at the border between the United States and Mexico, when a record number of migrants are trying to enter its territory.

The announcement comes after US officials debate whether to end another policy of the era of COVID-19 that has blocked the majority of asylum applications at the border and that could be counteracted by the new regulations, speeding up these procedures.

The final rule on asylum, which will go into effect in late May or early June, will authorize officials to accept or reject immigrants’ protection applications soon after they cross the border, thereby bypassing immigration courts, where cases often take years to be resolved by judges.

Most of the migrants stuck at the southwestern border of the United States come from Mexico and Central America, but they are increasingly lThose who come from far away places seeking refuge, including in recent weeks Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion of their country, an action Moscow calls a “special military operation”.

“The current system for processing asylum applications at our borders is long overdue for fixing,” National Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. The issue has drawn attacks from Republicans seeking control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. Under the new rule, issued jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, more immigrants, including families , they will enter into a process known as “expedited removal” to resolve cases more quickly. It will not apply to unaccompanied children.

Some immigrant rights advocates oppose the change, which aims to process cases in 90 days, for fear it will lead to more deportations. Although immigrants who are denied asylum will have another opportunity to present their case before an immigration judge, those processes will also be expedited to be resolved in three months.

An official from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), speaking to reporters Wednesday on condition of anonymity, explained that the new system will be phased in gradually, initially applying only to a small number of migrants.

Biden has maintained a controversial decree known as Title 42, launched in March 2020 by his predecessor, Donald Trump, and which allows the majority of migrants caught crossing the border to be quickly expelled to Mexico or other countries to limit the spread of the virus. COVID-19.

Washington is leaning toward ending the order in the wake of recent court decisions complicating its enforcement, but no final decision has been made ahead of next week’s deadline to renew, modify or end it.

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