The US will limit asylum at the border with Mexico

2023-05-10 16:11:47, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US will limit asylum at the border with Mexico

Immigrants trying to enter the US

US President Joe Biden's administration will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the US-Mexico border unless they have first applied online or sought protection in a transit country.

The decision is part of new measures aimed at cracking down on illegal border crossings by creating new legal pathways, including a plan to open a hundred regional immigration centers across the Western Hemisphere, US administration officials said. "AP".

This new measure was announced for the first time in February. One thing is certain, this decision will face legal challenges.

The US will limit asylum at the border with Mexico

In 2019, then-US President Donald Trump pursued similar but stricter measures, but a federal appeals court blocked them from taking effect.

US officials also said they had plans to open regional centers around the border, where migrants could apply to go to the US, Canada or Spain.

The establishment of two such centers was previously announced, including one in Guatemala and one in Colombia.

It is unclear where the other countries will be. US administration officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

All of the measures are intended to fundamentally change the way migrants get to the southern US border.

Restrictions related to the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, which will be lifted this week, had allowed border officials to quickly turn people away - and they did so 2.8 million times.

But even while these restrictions were in place, border crossings rose to all-time highs.

Congress has failed to make any major changes to immigration law in decades.

US officials are preparing for a large number of migrants who may try to cross the border this week, possibly to circumvent the new rules that take effect on Thursday, May 11.

The US will limit asylum at the border with Mexico

As it turns out, many others waited until these measures were lifted, thinking their chances might be better.

Once the change takes place, immigrants who are caught illegally crossing the US-Mexico border will not be allowed to return to the US for a period of five years and may face criminal prosecution if they do.

About 24 thousand law enforcement officers were stationed along the border with Mexico, which is more than 3 thousand kilometers long.

An additional 1,500 troops will be sent to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection, but will not interact with immigrants.

Also, about 2,500 National Guard troops are already there, tasked with assisting law enforcement authorities.

US institutions will return immigrants from Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to Mexico if they do not first apply online, if they do not have a sponsor and if they pass a background check./ REL