As border crossing attempts multiply, new Biden plan speeds up asylum approval and deportation

WASHINGTON – As the number of migrants arrested at the southern border reaches its highest level in two decades, the Biden administration has devised a 21-point plan to weigh their asylum claims more quickly and to deport those who fail to complete the conditions, according to a copy of the plan obtained by NBC News.

In the plan, which will be released on Tuesday, the administration asks asylum officers to have full authority to rule on asylum claims from migrants crossing the border, allowing asylum seekers to bypass the courts of the immigration, who now have a backlog of over 1.2 million cases. . The White House aims to send asylum cases that go to court to a dedicated case to ensure they get priority, according to the document.

Asylum-seeking families would also have access to legal advice, a goal depending on Congress approval of a $ 15 million budget request for next year.

Click here to read the plan.

Migrants found to be unqualified or who do not seek asylum will be deported more quickly.

“Asylum and other legal migration routes should remain accessible to those seeking protection. Those who do not seek protection or who do not meet the conditions will be promptly returned to their country of origin, ”the document said.

The White House has not set a timeline to implement the changes to its border policy. Many ideas have already been proposed as part of the federal rule-making process and budget proposals, including the hiring of 100 additional immigration judges, but are now codified in a strategic plan.

The document warns that President Joe Biden’s plan “will not be achieved overnight,” blaming the Trump administration’s “irrational and inhumane policies” for the delays.

Currently, the Biden administration is still enforcing Trump-era restrictions on the southern border to prevent the spread of Covid-19, despite opposition from immigration groups in a federal lawsuit. Unaccompanied children, the majority of families and some single adults have been allowed entry even under the restrictions, but many are returned to Mexico without the opportunity to seek asylum.

The strategic plan does not specify when this Covid policy, known as Title 42, could be lifted. NBC News previously reported that the administration is reconsidering lifting the policy over fears of a further increase at the border.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday evening that it will begin swift deportations of families entering the United States as exceptions to Title 42 but do not qualify for asylum.

The document sets out plans to help Central Americans considering coming to the United States by establishing centers in countries where would-be emigrants can receive legal information, increasing the number of temporary work visas, and reducing the backlog of immigrant visas so more people a legal route to the United States, who would otherwise enter illegally.