The Biden administration will expand asylum restrictions that have made it much more difficult for migrants who cross the border illegally to request protection in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security said Monday. Illegal crossings will now have to remain below a daily threshold of 1,500 for 28 days, up from seven days, before people who enter the U.S. illegally may request asylum. The amended measures will begin counting unaccompanied minors in the daily number of crossings. Since the emergency procedures were implemented in June, they have helped reduce illegal crossings at the southern border to about 1,800 a day, the lowest level in four years. The number of children and teenagers crossing without a parent has been about 200 per day in recent months, reports the Washington Post. The tightened restrictions were the latest indication of the extent to which the Biden administration — including Vice President Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee — has pivoted toward a more punitive approach at the southern border.
Former President Trump leads in polls on border security and immigration. Many of his claims, like migrants eating pets or foreign murderers roaming U.S. streets, are false or exaggerated. DHS aims to make asylum restrictions more resilient to temporary surges in border crossings, which last dipped below 1,500 daily during early 2020’s pandemic. DHS Secretary Mayorkas said the tougher policies will improve security and protect migrants by deterring them from using smugglers. Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border surged to record highs during Biden's first three years, with nearly 250,000 in December 2023 alone. Since then, crossings have dropped by nearly 80%. The Biden administration, with Mexico’s help, has implemented emergency measures making it nearly impossible for illegal border crossers to seek asylum, instead sending them back to Mexico or their home countries. Exceptions are made for those facing immediate danger or medical emergencies. As a result, the percentage of migrants quickly deported or returned rose from 28% to 70%, reducing the number released into the U.S.