US officials said on Monday (15) there will be “harsh consequences” for immigrants who illegally cross the country’s border with Mexico, as US President Joe Biden moves away from restrictions. Covid-19-imposed measures, known as Title 42, that have prevented many immigrants from applying for asylum at the border over the past three years.
The number of immigrants caught crossing the border illegally since Title 42 expired on Friday has dropped sharply from last week’s peaks, said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official Blas Nunez-Neto, in a teleconference with journalists.
The drop in apprehensions came as Biden implemented a stricter standard for asylum claims at the border and opened up new legal avenues for migrants abroad, and after countries further south tightened security at their borders, Nunez-Neto said.
Nunez-Neto said immigrants who cross illegally “now face tougher consequences at the border, including a minimum five-year ban on re-entry and the potential to be criminally prosecuted if they try again.”
Some security officials have internally expressed concern about the rapid rollout of the new rules and said it undermines the right to claim asylum under US law and international treaties, as well as Biden’s campaign promises.
Immigration advocates are taking to court in an effort to stop the new regulation.
Last week, some migrants told Reuters they were rushing to the border in an attempt to enter the country before the new asylum rules took effect.
After Title 42 ended at midnight on Thursday, some asylum seekers said they were told by US authorities they could not enter until they applied for an interview on a new application, known as CBP One.
US border officials have warned for months that the end of Title 42 restrictions, in place since March 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, could lead to an increase in illegal crossings.
Title 42 allowed US authorities to expel immigrants to Mexico or other countries without the chance of applying for US asylum.
(Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub in Washington)
Source: CNN Brasil
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