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US President Joe Biden’s administration has unveiled a plan that would make it harder for migrants to apply for asylum once Covid border controls are lifted in May.
It would require adult asylum seekers to use an app to book a meeting with US officials or first apply for asylum in another country before reaching the US.
Failure to comply would result in migrants not being admitted if they later reached the border.
Pro-migrant groups compared the plan to Trump-era policies.
The measure proposed on Tuesday is the toughest to curb immigration yet introduced by Mr. Biden, a Democrat who took office and promised a more humane approach to the border crisis than his predecessor’s administration.
The proposed rule would only apply to adults and families, but not to unaccompanied children.
Under the plan, migrants would have to use a phone app to make an appointment to speak with a US immigration officer when they arrive at the border.
Those who failed to make the appointment would be found ineligible for asylum in the other countries they traveled through.
The proposal, issued jointly by the US Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, allows for the expeditious deportation of these undocumented migrants.
If approved, it would go into effect on May 11, when Title 42 — a Trump-era public health emergency provision that allows migrants to be repatriated to Mexico — expires.
The Biden policy would remain in effect for two years, with an option to extend it.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it will sue to prevent the rule from ever taking effect.
The organization compared the plan to actions taken by former President Donald Trump, which a court has ruled unconstitutional.
Oxfam America said, “This sweeping asylum ban will close the door on countless refugees seeking safety and protection in the United States.”
But an unnamed Biden administration official told AFP, “This administration will not allow mass chaos and disorder at the border because Congress is not acting.”
The public has 30 days to comment on the draft.
About 200,000 undocumented migrants attempt to enter the United States each month, recent government records show.
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