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U.S. plans tough restrictions on asylum seekers
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A view of the U.S.-Mexico border wall seen from Playas de Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, February 16, 2023. /CFP
A view of the U.S.-Mexico border wall seen from Playas de Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, February 16, 2023. /CFP

A view of the U.S.-Mexico border wall seen from Playas de Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, February 16, 2023. /CFP

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden proposed tough new restrictions on asylum seekers Tuesday, saying it wanted to head off a migrant rush to the southern border when COVID-related controls are lifted.

The new rules say migrants who arrive at the border and simply cross into the United States will no longer be eligible for asylum. Instead, they have to apply online through a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) app or apply first for asylum in one of the countries they pass through to get to the U.S. border.

Those processes could potentially be extremely onerous for the 200,000 people who try to cross the border from Mexico to the United States each month. Most are from Central and South America and cite poverty and violence back home in requesting asylum.

The new rules apply a system already in practice for migrants from Ukraine, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti, who are required to apply through the CBP app and arrange an appointment with immigration officials, otherwise disqualifying them from seeking asylum.

The new rules, according to officials, were temporary and would expire after 24 months, but they did not specify what will replace them.

Source(s): AFP

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