Biden administration to speed up asylum cases, expand legal resources at the border
April 24, 2023
According to www.abcnews.go.com, The Biden administration next week will begin conducting asylum interviews at the border while it expands access to legal services for migrants seeking refuge in the U.S., according to two administration officials. The latter is a key issue that emerged during attempts to fast-track processing under the Trump administration.
Starting with a small number of migrants, asylum officers will begin holding what are known as “credible fear” screening interviews with those at U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities, the officials told ABC News. The interviews are among the first steps required to make an asylum claim.
Currently, the screening interviews are conducted only after migrants leave CBP custody. But the Biden administration is anticipating a potential influx of asylum seekers amid the end of pandemic-era rules that gave border officials power to swiftly return migrants back to Mexico or their home countries.
With those powers ending along with the official national pandemic emergency status next month, the administration has been working to increase the pace of migrant processing, including a move last year that allows asylum officers to decide cases on behalf of immigration judges.
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