US President Joe Biden’s administration has unveiled a plan that would make it harder for migrants to claim asylum once Covid border controls lift in May.
It would require adult asylum seekers to use an app to book a meeting with US officials or first claim asylum in another country before reaching the US. Failure to comply would make migrants ineligible if they subsequently reach the border.
Pro-migrant groups likened the plan to Trump-era policies.
Tuesday’s proposed measure is the toughest to curtail immigration yet introduced by President Biden, a Democrat who came into office promising a more humane approach to the border crisis than the administration of his predecessor. The proposed rule would only apply to adults and families, but not to unaccompanied children.
The proposal – issued jointly by the US Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice – allows for those undocumented migrants to be swiftly deported.