President Joe Biden unveiled a series of measures to curb asylum claims and prevent a surge in border crossings this summer, in a politically controversial attempt to confront one of its greatest internal vulnerabilities.
With the measurements, which They will come into force at the end of this Tuesday, June 4the southern border will be closed to some asylum applications until the level of crossings at the border between the United States and Mexico decreases substantially and the threshold for people to remain in the country will be raised.
For Biden, the real test of his policy will be whether the measure can restore perceptions about his management of the immigration without alienating voters and political allies.
Donald Trump, Biden's opponent in the November election, and Republicans have criticized him over the crisis at the southwest border, highlighting what polls show has become a defining issue.
Biden's measures will also almost certainly generate judicial resources and threaten to further fracture Democrats, who are already divided over how to handle the increase in migration flows.
Progressives have called Biden's measures draconian, saying they will worsen a humanitarian crisis without addressing the root causes of migration, while moderates and lawmakers in swing states are pressuring the administration to stem the flow of migrants. that are testing the resources of cities across the country.
Before Biden's announcement, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Democratic chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called the plans “very disappointing” and added that they “do not solve the problem at the border.”
Republicans have called the proposals too small and too late.
Biden will suspend asylum applications to the US
Biden will deliver a speech on measures in the White House this Tuesday at 2:00 pm New York time. The changes will suspend asylum applications for people crossing between ports of entry when crossing levels exceed 2,500 border encounters per day.
Border crossings already far exceeded that figure in April, when US authorities recorded about 4,300 daily encounters with undocumented immigrants between ports of entry. The restrictions will not be lifted until they drop to fewer than 1,500 a day for at least a week.
According to the authorities, the rule introduces three fundamental changes in the processing under the authorities of the so-called Title 8. The first is that, in general, the people who cross the border will not be able to request asylum when levels exceed the threshold, with some exceptions, such as unaccompanied minors.
Second, not all applicants will be referred to a credible fear test, a lower threshold for granting of asylum in which an official determines whether a person fears harm if returned to their country. And finally, the United States will raise the threshold for those who do not meet the asylum requirements but claim fear of return, and will be given a more difficult test.
The modifications apply to all non-citizens. Exceptions include people with visas that allow them allowed to enter the United States and cases of medical emergencyofficials said.
Asylum applications also continue to be allowed for those who arrange appointments through the CBP One app and then arrive at a port of entry. Those cases are not considered toward the limit.
People will be expelled in some cases within hours or days, officials said, although they acknowledged that it depends on the country of origin. The United States already operates repatriation flights to some countries, including India, according to US officials. Mexican citizens, as well as those from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuelawill be returned to Mexico, as was done previously, officials said.
Democratic efforts to revive a bipartisan deal on immigration that Trump had rejected failed, prompting Biden to act now, before the summer, when border crossings typically increase, according to U.S. officials.
