Biden officials weigh tougher asylum ban at Mexico border

5/9/2024 5:52

        Biden administration
        officials are weighing whether to toughen an asylum ban to
        maintain lower levels of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico
        border since the ban went into effect in June, a U.S. Department
        of Homeland Security official familiar with the matter told
        Reuters.
        
        The ban is designed to be lifted if the number of migrants
        caught crossing the southern border illegally drops below an
        average of 1,500 per day for one week, followed by a two-week
        waiting period.
        
        The change under discussion would lengthen the time the
        number of people caught must remain below that level to several
        weeks, the DHS official said, requesting anonymity to discuss
        internal deliberations.
        
        The 1,500 threshold has not yet been reached. In July, the
        U.S. Border Patrol apprehended an average 1,820 migrants a day.
        There was one day in December when the number reached 10,800,
        which officials at the time said was at or near a record.
        
        The New York Times first reported the discussions. A DHS
        spokesperson said the department was reviewing public comments
        and could not comment on potential changes.
        
        Illegal immigration is a top U.S. voter concern heading into
        the Nov. 5 election that will decide control of the White House
        and Congress.
        
        Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has promised
        mass deportations if reelected and criticized Vice President
        Kamala Harris' approach to border security as record numbers of
        migrants have been caught illegally crossing the border in
        recent years.
        
        Harris, the Democratic nominee, has criticized Trump for
        opposing a bipartisan border security bill that failed in the
        U.S. Senate earlier this year.
        
        President Joe Biden imposed the sweeping asylum ban on June
        5, barring many migrants from seeking asylum if they crossed the
        southern border illegally.
        
        The White House said the restrictions were needed after
        Republicans rejected the Senate bill and that migrants could use
        new Biden-era pathways to enter the U.S. legally.
        
        The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the
        U.S.-Mexico border dropped to 56,000 in July, down from 118,000
        in May, according to U.S. government figures.
        
        The asylum ban was issued as an "interim final rule" by DHS
        and the Justice Department, meaning it still must be finalized.