The Biden administration is targeting the backlog of asylum cases from those who recently arrived at the border, creating a dedicated process in hopes of adjudicating claims more quickly.
While it is largely a matter of managing the court’s workflow, in trying to resolve pending cases, the administration is attacking a problem that GOP critics say allows migrants to spend years in the U.S. before facing potential removal.
Although asylum status is designed to help those fleeing persecution and danger, many who seek it and who undergo initial screening at the border may ultimately not qualify for the protections, which cover only certain classes of people. people and circumstances.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that the new agenda would “expedite asylum procedures so that individuals who do not qualify for assistance can be removed more quickly and those who do qualify can obtain protections sooner.”
“This administrative measure does not replace the radical and much-needed changes that the bipartisan Senate bill would bring, but in the absence of congressional action, we will do what we can to more effectively enforce the law and discourage irregular migration,” he added . .
There is currently a years-long backlog of more than 3 million cases working their way through the immigration court system.
The new summary for single adults who crossed between ports of entry reflects a similar one already established for family cases. The docket will be in use for cases in five cities – Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York – and judges will face a six-month deadline to reach a decision on the case.
The plan, however, does not include funding for additional immigration court judges, something a bipartisan immigration package considered in the Senate would have included.
A senior administration official said judges have already been identified who will focus on the new cases and that a dedicated workforce would be able to handle the new cases “on a faster timeline than, say, the average immigration case.”
Another official highlighted that the period of time that the system currently takes to evaluate these cases is being “exploited by smuggling networks”, some of which are combatted more effectively with deportations.
“We are confident that reducing the time it takes people to go through this process and being able to provide consequences for those who do not have a legal basis to remain in the United States in the form of removal is the most effective tool. we have in our toolbox to prevent reseller migration,” the official said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
