The Biden administration is set to tighten access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border via a new regulation that could be issued as soon as Thursday, three sources familiar with the matter said. The change is aimed at reducing illegal crossings.
The regulation would require migrants to be assessed at an initial asylum screening 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.
U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking another term in the November 5 election, has struggled with record numbers of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since taking office in 2021. Former President Donald Trump, Biden’s Republican challenger, has criticized Biden for rolling back more-restrictive, Trump-era policies.
