President Joe Biden’s administration is crafting a massive bill that would modernize the country’s asylum system to speed up the processing of claims at key border crossings with Mexico. This was reported to Reuters by representatives of the Department of Homeland Security.
The idea to reform the system comes from ongoing discussions within the Biden administration about the need to rethink asylum as border crossings hit an all-time high and immigration courts can’t process claims. , said two people who wished to remain anonymous. According to them, last month representatives of the White House visited Europe, in particular the Netherlands, to take into account foreign experience in the implementation of the reform.
Biden is expected to seek re-election for a second term in 2024. He has tightened his approach to border security, introducing new bans on illegal migrants in recent weeks as Republicans stepped up their attack on the administration’s policy on the question after winning the midterm elections for the lower house of Congress.
The legislation, which is still in the design stage, could also include different procedures for asylum seekers depending on nationality, with migrants from countries with generally higher approval rates enjoying greater freedom. motion pending a decision on their case, the sources said.
According to two sources, people with high asylum potential will have few or no restrictions on their freedom of movement until their case is heard in court. However, migrants who are less likely to have their asylum application approved can be quickly expelled from the country.
For example, in fiscal year 2022, according to government data, 53% of Chinese asylum seekers were successful in immigration courts, while only 8% of Honduran citizens were successful. cause and obtained asylum.
“This is a completely revamped approach, not limited by current legislation,” a Department of Homeland Security official said.
Sources pointed out that the bill is still being worked on, so many details may change before it is completed. One of the authors of the text of the future bill, according to sources, is Blas Nunez-Neto, a senior official in the Department of Homeland Security.
Department spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa neither confirmed nor denied the sources’ reports, saying the agency is “always looking for ways to improve our asylum system” but that none of these proposals have been made. is “taken seriously,” she said.
Espinosa said the administration remains committed to passing the immigration reform bill that Biden sent to Congress shortly after taking office in 2021. However, the bill did not find support among lawmakers.
When the asylum law will pass and whether it will receive support from Republicans or Democrats in Congress remains unclear.
The goal of the initiative is to start a conversation with Congress about creating a “fair, timely, and functional asylum system,” said another Department of Homeland Security official directly involved in the planning. Bill.
The source pointed out that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorcas or the White House could cancel work on the bill, and acknowledged the challenges of passing the law in a divided Congress.
The proposed asylum bill could also include a requirement for migrants to seek asylum in the countries they pass through before crossing the US border if protection is available elsewhere, another source said.
Immigrant rights advocates have criticized the idea, saying it is similar to the “transit ban” proposed by the Donald Trump administration. Human rights activists have also raised concerns about the fast processing time for asylum claims, saying it could lead to the deportation of migrants who have grounds for asylum.
In January, Biden introduced new restrictions on illegal migrants, while expanding the legal possibilities for certain categories of foreigners to migrate legally, leading to a sharp drop in the number of people detained while crossing the border illegally. Mexican-American.
The new restrictions, based on the Trump administration’s Section 42 to combat the spread of COVID-19, allow US authorities to deport migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua to Mexico without being able to apply for the asylum in the United States. Previously, Mexico had mainly welcomed returning Mexicans, some Central Americans and, more recently, Venezuelans.
The Biden administration has said it wants to repeal Section 42 and replace it with another fast-track eviction process called “fast-track eviction.”
