Asylum limits at border expected to end May 23
The Biden administration is expected to end the asylum limits at the U.S.-Mexico border by May 23 that were put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to people familiar with the matter.
The decision, not yet final, would halt use of public health powers to absolve the United States of obligations under American law and international treaty to provide haven to people fleeing persecution, and would apply to all asylum-seekers.
Ending the limitations in May would allow for time to prepare at the border, the people said. But the delay runs against the wishes of top Democrats and others who say COVID-19 has long been used as an excuse for the U.S. to get out of asylum obligations.
It also raises the possibility that more asylum-seeking migrants will come to the border at a time when flows already are high. The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that about 7,100 migrants were coming daily, compared with an average of about 5,900 a day in February, and on pace to match or exceed highs from last year, 2019 and other peak periods.
President Joe Biden declined to discuss his administration's plans, telling reporters Wednesday at the White House, “We'll have a decision on that soon.”
Whenever the limits are lifted, his communications director said “there will be an influx of people to the border. We are doing a lot of work to plan for that contingency.”
Speaking broadly, Kate Bedingfield said the administration is trying to “build up our migration system and ensure that we are restoring order at the border.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had extended its asylumblocking powers for two months in late January, near the height of the omicron variant. The authority is up for renewal this week and officials are expected to announce as early as Friday that it would be terminated, giving border authorities a few months to prepare for the coming deadline.
The people familiar with the plans saw a draft report that has not been finalized and they spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The limits went into place in March 2020 under the Trump administration as coronavirus cases soared.
While officials said at the time that it was a way to keep COVID-19 out of the United States, there always has been criticism that the restrictions were used as an excuse to seal the border to migrants unwanted by then-President Donald Trump.