Staff Reports
The Biden administration is taking steps to deport illegal immigrants who seek asylum and are deemed to be a danger to the safety of the American public. The Department of Homeland Security is proposing a rule to quickly remove these individuals from the United States to ensure the security of the country.
Under the current system, federal authorities are not allowed to consider the risks posed by asylum-seekers early in the screening process, leading to their release into the country. However, the new rule aims to change this by identifying and removing individuals who present a security risk and have no legal basis to remain in the United States.
The Biden administration is moving forward with a proposal to allow the Department of Homeland Security to quickly deport any asylum-seeker who came over the border illegally and is determined to be a threat to public safety. https://t.co/8PiNpX088N
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 10, 2024
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that this proposed rule is part of ongoing efforts to safeguard the American public. He emphasized the need for Congress to address the broken immigration system, highlighting the importance of taking action to protect national security and public safety.
The decision to prevent a small number of illegal immigrants who seek asylum from being released into the country follows high-profile crimes committed by immigrants who were allowed to enter, including the tragic murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
The rule will still allow most asylum-seekers to be released into the country and provided with documents to appear in immigration court, although the backlog of cases means they may not have a court date for years. The proposed change will enable authorities to consider information that disqualifies someone from asylum or withholding of removal, if they are deemed to be a threat to national security or public safety.
The Biden administration anticipates that the proposed change will not lengthen the time it takes to interview immigrants in custody at the border, and it expects that only a small fraction of individuals encountered or interviewed on a given day will be affected. This measure is seen as a critical security step to address the risks posed by individuals with serious criminal histories or links to terrorist activity.
