Less than two months until the presidential election, the Biden-Harris administration is contemplating significant changes to its asylum-seeking policy. The changes could make it more challenging to lift the sweeping restrictions enacted in June.
Those restrictions included a daily quota of 1,500 appointments allowing migrants in Mexico to be processed at official border entry points, providing an alternative to unauthorized crossings.
Under the proposed changes, asylum restrictions would remain unless the seven-day average of unlawful border crossings stays below 1,500 for 28 days, up from the current one-week requirement.
This move represents a shift in Biden’s immigration approach, balancing restrictive measures with legal pathways for migrants amid political pressure and border management challenges.
In July, illegal border entries dropped to 56,400, the lowest since September 2020, with daily apprehensions averaging 1,820 migrants, a stark contrast to the record-breaking 10,800 crossings in a single day last December.
Despite a slight increase to 58,000 unauthorized crossings in August, border numbers remain at a four-year low, indicating the impact of the administration’s policy shift.
The rule still needs to be finalized by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.
Immigration is a top issue for voters in the upcoming election. Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump has vowed mass deportations if he’s elected in November and has criticized Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris for the millions of U.S. southern border crossings since she and Biden took office in January 2021.
Harris has vowed to sign a border security bill that would prohibit migrants who cross the border illegally from seeking asylum.
