Even though apprehensions at southern border rose slightly to 58,000 during the month of August, they still remained at a four-year low. In fact, the figure is about 80% less compared to last December, when over 200,000 migrants were caught trying to enter the country. The decrease is largely credited to the Biden administration's asylum order, enacted in June, the most restrictive asylum policy by a Democratic president.
The numbers have prompted authorities to now consider changes to the policy, changes that would extend the duration and broaden the criteria required to lift the stringent asylum restrictions it imposed in June, as CBS News reports.
Currently, the policy includes a deactivation trigger, whereby the restrictions would be lifted if the seven-day average of daily illegal crossings falls below 1,500. The proposed changes would extend this threshold to a 28-day period, requiring the average to remain below 1,500 for nearly a month before the policy could be lifted.
Additionally, the administration is considering expanding the calculations used to determine the deactivation threshold. Under the new proposal, all unaccompanied migrant children, regardless of their country of origin, would be included in these calculations. Currently, only unaccompanied children from Mexico are counted.
If approved, these changes would be implemented through regulations issued by DHS and the Department of Justice, which initially issued an interim rule to enforce Biden's June proclamation. The final rule is currently under development, and DHS officials have stated that they are still processing public comments on the interim rule.
The June asylum restrictions marked a significant shift in U.S. border policy, reversing earlier pledges by President Biden to adopt a more humane immigration approach. "Success in building this fair, orderly, and humane immigration system won't be achieved overnight," said the administration back in July of 2021. "Especially after the prior Administration's irrational and inhumane policies, but this Administration has a blueprint to get there and is making real progress."
This year, the administration has increasingly embraced broad asylum limits in response to record levels of migrant interdictions at the southern border and growing political pressure. Besides the stricter asylum rules, it has also introduced programs allowing tens of thousands of migrants to enter the U.S. legally each month including daily appointments for migrants waiting in Mexico to be processed at official entry points and a program permitting up to 30,000 migrants from select countries to fly to the U.S. with financial sponsorship.
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