The Biden administration announced a new proposed temporary rule on Tuesday that attempts to clamp down on the skyrocketing number of illegal border crossings.
The two-year proposal, announced by the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice, would make any families and single adults who illegally enter the country ineligible for asylum consideration in the United States unless they can prove they were denied asylum in Mexico or another third country.
HAKEEM JEFFRIES TELLS DEMOCRATS TO 'TAKE A FIELD TRIP' TO SOUTHERN BORDER
Unaccompanied minors will be exempt from the new rule, which is subject to a 30-day public comment period before being finalized ahead of Title 42's expiration on May 11. The DHS estimates that, at that time, illegal border crossings apprehensions could surge to as many as 13,000 per day, a level officials say "risks undermining the Departments’ continued ability to safely, effectively, and humanely enforce and administer U.S. immigration law, including the asylum system, in the face of exceptionally challenging circumstances."
Former President Donald Trump sought to implement similar rules to turn away asylum-seekers, but the policy was eventually blocked by federal courts.
Immigration is increasingly being viewed as a political viability for President Joe Biden as he prepares to announce his 2024 reelection campaign. Illegal border apprehensions have risen exponentially since Biden took office, and Republicans have heartily criticized the president's efforts to roll back the previous administration's border policies.
However, a growing number of Democrats have also criticized Biden's handling of the matter. Not only are some claiming that Biden's recent efforts to combat illegal immigration are akin to Trump's policies, but others in border states, in particular, have suggested that Biden's early immigration steps have exacerbated the situation at the southern border.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) joined Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) for a tour of border facilities over the weekend. Jeffries specifically noted that Customs and Border Protection officials are ill-equipped to deal with the current migration levels, both at legal ports of entry and across unmanned sections of the border.
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"We do need comprehensive immigration reform that is both humane but also respects the rule of law and the traditions of public safety and the importance of that for border communities," he said during a press conference following his trip. "I'm going to continue to encourage my colleagues in Washington, as part of trying to arrive at a comprehensive solution, to take a field trip, to come down to the border communities, to speak to the people who experience life at the border."