A new rule proposed by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would enable US officials to identify and deport more quickly migrants not eligible for asylum in the United States.
The measure, announced on Thursday, would enable the swift expulsion of asylum seekers posing a ‘national security risk’ or guilty of serious crimes.
However, it still needs to go through a 30-day period of public comment before taking effect.
US President Joe Biden, who has been campaigning for his re-election in November, faces criticism on immigration from his Republican opponents, chief among them his rival and predecessor Donald Trump, who accuses him of detrimental inaction against illegal immigration.
“The proposed rule we have published today is yet another step in our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the American public by more quickly identifying and removing those individuals who present a security risk and have no legal basis to remain here,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is quoted as saying in the press release.
"Noncitizens who present a national security or public safety risk remain in DHS custody while their cases are referred for full immigration hearings before an immigration judge, a process that can take years and is resource intensive," the Department explained.
"The proposed rule would allow Asylum Officers to issue denial of claims within days after an individual is encountered when there is evidence that the individual is barred from asylum because of a terrorism, national security, or criminal bar, thereby significantly shortening the overall time between encounter and removal from the United States," it added in the statement.
