New Biden administration rule aims to speed up asylum screening for limited group of migrants

REBECCA SANTANA
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new Biden administration rule aims to speed up asylum processing at the southern border, enabling it to quickly reject a limited group of people believed to have committed serious crimes or who have terrorist links. The change announced Thursday comes during an election year when immigration is a key issue. Under current law, certain mandatory bars make people ineligible for asylum, for example, if they’ve been convicted of a serious crime. But a judge makes the final determination on whether the person qualifies for asylum and that process can take years. The new rule gives asylum officers interviewing migrants days after they’ve arrived in the country power to consider that criminal history in deciding whether to remove someone.