Homeland Security proposes change to asylum-seeking process
The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday a proposed change to the process for those seeking asylum in the United States that would streamline security assessments.
The new proposal would allow asylum officers to determine earlier in the process whether an asylum-seeker is a national security risk and therefore ineligible to stay in the United States, the agency said.
Currently, that determination is made later in immigration proceedings based on multiple factors. The new rule aims to allow that determination to be made during the initial screening phase over a number of reasons including "terrorism, national security or criminal bar," the agency said.
"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," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.
The proposal would not go into effect immediately, as it would need to go through a public comment period and review before being implemented.
The proposed change would affect only a small group of asylum seekers, a DHS official told ABC News.
"I think it's important that everybody understands that this really only applies to individuals who have a serious criminal history or who are linked to terrorist activity," the official said.
The administration plans to finalize the expedited process for national security and public safety concerns by the end of the year. The proposed rule will be published in the federal register Monday, officials said.
Homeland Security's action comes as the Biden administration has been under increasing pressure to take executive action to deal with migrants crossing the border.
Conversations about what else the administration can do to address the border through executive actions are still ongoing, according to a source.
One action still under consideration is restricting individuals who enter the country between official ports of entry from seeking asylum.
