image source, Getty Images
Migrants try to cross the US border
The government of US President Joe Biden has proposed a new immigration plan that imposes strict asylum restrictions on migrants entering the country through the border.
If the proposal is approved, the asylum claim will require migrants to request an interview with US officials through a phone app or apply for asylum in another country before arriving in the United States.
Failure to comply with the new regulations will prevent migrants from being eligible to receive asylum if they enter the United States through the border.
Human rights groups compare the plan to the policies of former President Donald Trump.
It is the toughest proposal presented so far by Bidenwho promised a more humane approach to the border crisis when he took office.
The new regulations would apply to adults and families, but not in the case of unaccompanied children.
Under the plan, migrants would have to use an app to make an appointment to speak with a US immigration official when they arrive at the border. Those who do not make the appointment would not have the right to request asylum in the countries through which they passed.
The proposal, issued jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice, allows undocumented migrants to be quickly deported.
If the ordinance is approved, it will be enacted on May 11, when Title 42 will expirea health emergency provision approved by the Trump government, which authorizes the expulsion of migrants to Mexico.
Biden’s policy would remain in effect for two years with the option to extend it.
image source, Getty Images
Migrants wait to enter US territory.
Criticism of the new plan
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it will file a lawsuit to stop the rule from taking effect.
The organization compared the plan to actions taken earlier by Trump, which were ruled unconstitutional in court.
Oxfam America said: “This sweeping asylum ban will close the door on countless refugees seeking safety and security in the United States.”
“This administration will not allow mass chaos and disorder at the border due to inaction by Congress,” an anonymous Biden government official told AFP.
The public has 30 days to comment on the draft proposal.
About 200,000 undocumented immigrants try to enter the United States each month, recent government records show.
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