The Biden administration announced on Wednesday a new rule that will make the asylum process “more efficient and ensure fairness” by allowing asylum officers to hear and decide asylum applications.
“The current system for hearing and adjudicating asylum claims at the southwest border has long needed repair,” the Department of Homeland Security tweeted.
“DHS remains committed to building a more fair, orderly, and humane immigration system.”
The current system for hearing and adjudicating asylum claims at the southwest border has long needed repair. DHS remains committed to building a more fair, orderly, and humane immigration system.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 18, 2021
“These proposed changes will significantly improve DHS’s and DOJ’s ability to more promptly and efficiently consider the asylum claims of individuals encountered at or near the border, while ensuring fundamental fairness,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.
“Individuals who are eligible will receive relief more swiftly, while those who are not eligible will be expeditiously removed. We are building an immigration system that is designed to ensure due process, respect human dignity, and promote equity.”
“Today marks a step forward in our effort to make the asylum process fairer and more expeditious,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the statement.
“This rule will both reduce the caseload in our immigration courts and protect the rights of those fleeing persecution and violence,” Garland added.
The overhaul of asylum rules has long been recommended. However, the Biden administration’s version includes some aspects many may find concerning.
“Another change the Biden administration included in the proposed rule would allow the government to release migrants from detention while they await the result of their interviews with asylum officers,” CBS News reported. “The proposed rule would allow officials to parole, or release, migrants on the grounds that ‘detention is unavailable or impracticable.'”
In addition, the report noted, officials said the change will “permit the government to place more migrant families traveling with children in the expedited proceedings since there are currently legal restrictions on the detention of minors in U.S. immigration custody.”
The announcement comes as “The number of migrants detained along the Mexico border crossed a new threshold last month, exceeding 200,000 for the first time in 21 years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement data released Thursday,” The Washington Post reported last week.
“Among the 212,672 migrants taken into U.S. custody in July were 82,966 family members and 18,962 unaccompanied teenagers and children — an all-time high.”
Two weeks ago, Border Patrol apprehended a record 834 unaccompanied children along the nation’s southern border in a single day.
“Biden’s open border policy is a disaster,” Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton tweeted at the time.
Biden’s open border policy is a disaster. https://t.co/iY0bXE3rpb
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) August 5, 2021
The record number does not even include children from Mexico, most of whom, a Homeland Security report said, “will be repatriated and will not remain in CBP custody.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
