US unveils measures to tackle expected surge in unauthorised border crossings

Officials announce new rules ahead of expiration of Title 42, a Covid-era border restriction

A group of migrants wait to be processed by US authorities after being apprehended trying to cross the border. Reuters

The US on Thursday unveiled new measures aimed at reducing the number of migrants coming to the US-Mexico border, weeks before pandemic-era restrictions are set to expire.

The end of the restrictions is expected to trigger a surge in people arriving at the border without authorisation to cross.

Instead of waiting until would-be immigrants reach the border, the US will send asylum officers to newly set up refugee centres in Guatemala and Colombia to process claims, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced.

He also unveiled plans to further restrict asylum access and expedite the deportations of migrants.

Border agencies are bracing for the end of Title 42, a Covid-era rule that is scheduled to expire on May 11.

Imposed by then-president Donald Trump in 2020, the measure allowed border officials to swiftly expel migrants arriving at the southern border back to Mexico, without giving them the chance to apply for asylum. The measure was used nearly three million times.

“Our border is not open and will not be open after May 11,” Mr Mayorkas said, speaking alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

When Title 42 expires, migrants entering the US irregularly would be subjected to Title 8, Mr Mayorkas said, which includes deportation, a five-year ban on re-entry and the loss of eligibility for parole programmes.

Under the new measures, removal processes will be expanded for migrants deemed inadmissible and deportation flights will be increased. Migrants will either be deported to Mexico or their country of origin.

The announcement comes as President Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term in office, faces unrelenting Republican pressure to do more to secure the nation’s southern border.

Republicans have accused him of having an “open border” policy.

In March, 162,317 people were apprehended at the US-Mexico border, a 25 per cent increase from a month prior.

The Biden administration has also come under fire by migrant advocates who say that efforts to restrict access to asylum run counter to US and international law.

“Increasing regional refugee admissions, issuing temporary humanitarian parole and expanding family reunification programmes are all welcome steps, but they cannot and should not be considered a replacement for the bedrock human right to seek asylum,” said Lee Williams, chief programmes officer at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a US resettlement agency.

Mr Blinken said the new measures take into account the global phenomenon of migration, which is triggered by violence, insecurity, poverty and climate change.

“If you step back, and it’s really important to do that, globally there are more than 100 million people on the move today in search of security and better lives,” Mr Blinken said.

“That is more people than at any time in recorded history, and in our own hemisphere, we are facing an unprecedented migration challenge.”