Report: White House to Roll Out New Asylum Restrictions at the Border 

February 21, 2023


A proposed regulation to roll out on Tuesday could bar migrants from claiming asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border if they passed through another country first without seeking protection, sources told Reuters.

The proposed restrictions could potentially deter tens of thousands of people seeking to cross the southern border without authorization. The restrictions will reportedly be subject to a 30-day public comment period. They’ll then be reviewed again before final publication. 

The reported new proposal comes as the White House is preparing for an end to the Covid-era Title 42 policy that was begun under the Trump Administration, but allowed for more than 2 million migrant expulsions at the border just during Biden Administration. Biden is planning to end the national and public health emergencies for Covid-19 on May 11, making Title 42 moot.

The new asylum restrictions will likely face legal challenges from immigrant rights groups if they take effect.

The Administration has, however, also tried to make seeking asylum at the border a bit easier, giving migrants access to a mobile app, called CBP One. Sponsored by Customs and Border Protection, it’s intended to reduce border crossings by allowing would-be asylum-seekers to schedule a time to approach a land port of entry. 

Both the app and the reported proposed restrictions follow a record number of border crossings last year. U.S. Border Patrol made 2.2 million arrests in fiscal year 2022, the most ever recorded.

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