The United States soon will begin denying asylum to migrants who are caught illegally crossing the United States-Mexico border under a new regulation, according to officials. 

The new asylum rule is expected to be finalized by May 11, the same day that a wide-ranging COVID-19 era border restriction, Title 42, is set to expire, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The regulation states that migrants will be denied asylum if they entered another country to reach the United States without requesting protection there, or if they did not use other legal methods to enter the United States.

The new regulation is part of President Biden’s plan to address a surge in illegal immigration following the end of Title 42, which allowed U.S. border agents to quickly expel many migrants to Mexico to prevent the virus’s spread in packed detention centers. 

Title 42’s expiration is expected to trigger a surge in migrants at the border. Roughly 90,000 migrants recently crossed the southern border just 10 days ahead of the restriction’s expiration.

The predicted surge in border crossings will be “extremely challenging,” Mayorkas said at a Brownsville, Texas, press conference.

The Biden administration has been encouraging migrants to enter the country legally and has expanded access to an app that allows migrants to schedule appointments for their border entry.

Roughly 1,000 appointments will be available per day starting May 12, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  

With Post wires