Image: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
On Tuesday, the Biden administration proposed a new immigration law that would prohibit the vast majority of migrants from being able to seek asylum at the US southern border. It now enters a 30-day public comment period, before likely taking effect in early May.
🤔 Why it’s a big deal: The proposal is intended to replace a Trump-era Covid immigration policy called Title 42, which allows the US to rapidly deport most migrants who seek asylum. The old law is set to expire on May 11, alongside the federal Covid public health emergency.
📝 So, what would the new law entail?... For the next two years, US officials would presume that all migrants who illegally cross the southern border are ineligible for asylum – meaning they’d be deported upon capture (though exceptions would be made for unaccompanied minors and those dealing with medical emergencies or imminent threats to their safety).
The Biden admin’s measure would also establish several new requirements that asylum-seekers would need to follow in order to legally immigrate into the US.
📸 Big picture: The US Border Patrol made 2.4 million migrant arrests on the southern border last fiscal year – a 37% increase from the previous year as well as the highest number ever recorded, per federal data published in November.
📊 Flash poll: How do you feel about the Biden administration’s proposed immigration law?
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