The Biden administration on Thursday announced a new rule aiming to make it easier and faster for immigration officials to deny asylum to some migrants.
The change comes as the administration has been working to show it has a handle on the border amid an onslaught of attacks from Republicans -- and some Democrats -- on the issue of immigration.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official told Spectrum News that the change would allow immigration officials to quickly deny asylum for migrants that present a national security or public safety risk. Asylum officers would now be able to make this decision during the initial screening stage just days after a migrant is apprehended.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the rule will "ensure the safety of the american public by more quickly identifying and removing those individuals who present a security risk and have no legal basis to remain here."
Under current law, there are certain mandatory bars that make people ineligible for asylum, for example, if you've been convicted of a particularly serious crime. But those usually come into play when an immigration judge is making a final determination on whether someone gets asylum and that process can take years. Migrants are usually detained during this time, the department said.
“The proposed rule would allow Asylum Officers to issue denial of claims within days after an individual is encountered when there is evidence that the individual is barred from asylum because of a terrorism, national security, or criminal bar, thereby significantly shortening the overall time between encounter and removal from the United States,” the department said.
A senior DHS official also announced Thursday new guidance for asylum officers, instructing them to consider whether an asylum seeker could reasonably relocate to another part of their home country rather than coming to the United States.
The change is the latest effort by President Joe Biden to demonstrate his administration's ability to handle the southern border in an election year, and comes in the wake of Republicans killing a bipartisan compromise to address border security just months ago.
In February, a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced they reached an agreement on a bill that would have tied aid for Ukraine and Israel to changes at the border -- including giving the president authority to close the border when overwhelmed, expediting work permits, making the asylum process more efficient -- and funding for more technology to detect and stop the flow of fentanyl, boost U.S. border patrol and add immigration judges.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson declared it dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled House amid opposition from the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, who encouraged members of the party to oppose it.
The foreign aid bill eventually passed and was signed into law without border security provisions.
Republicans are encouraging Biden to take executive action on the border, while Democrats are urging him to use his power to protect long-term undocumented immigrants in the United States.
The new asylum rule enters a 30-day public comment period before it can go into effect.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.