Border lawmaker wants new asylum rules to remain

McALLEN, Texas ( Border Report ) — When a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers met with leaders in Mexico City this week, the topic of security on the U.S.-Mexico border dominated most talks, Border Report has learned.

Specifically, new asylum rules that were put in place by the Biden administration in early June — when the number of migrants crossing the border reached a certain threshold — were brought up with the Mexican president and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, told Border Report.

“We had real deep conversations on President Biden’s executive order that has stopped the flow of migrants by about 75% right now,” said Gonzalez, the only Texan among a handful of U.S. lawmakers on this week’s trip.

Across the Southwest border the number of migrants has dropped by 50% in the past six weeks since the order was implemented, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. But in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Gonzalez says the figure is much higher — about 75%.

The new rules restrict asylum applications when the number of border encounters exceeds 2,500 a day for seven consecutive days. It also limits asylum applications to migrants with CBP One app appointments and those who cross legally at ports of entry. And it allows for credible-fear interviews to be given to migrants who tell border officials that they fear for their lives if they are returned to their country.

“It’s been really, really impactful on our southern border,” Gonzalez said about the new rules. “And regardless of how you feel politically, you got to look at what the results have been. And they’ve been positive. And I think nobody can deny that.”

Since the order has been in effect, DHS has removed and returned more than 50,000 individuals to more than 100 countries, including operating more than 175 international repatriation flights, including a recent flight to China, the agency said Tuesday

The agency has doubled the percentage of noncitizens processed through its Expedited Removal program and has decreased by 70% the numbers released pending their removal proceedings.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection this week released June data that showed migrant encounters were down 29% overall across the Southwest border. There were 83,536 migrant encounters in between U.S. ports of entry in June, down from 117,901 in May. Migrant encounters were down two-thirds from December figures of 249,741, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection released this week.

The number of encounters has decreased to below 1,900 encounters per day for the past seven days — that’s a 50% drop, DHS said Tuesday.

If it gets below 1,500 for seven consecutive days, then the order could be temporarily lifted.

“The limitation on asylum eligibility will be discontinued when encounters fall below certain levels but will come back into effect if encounters rise again. This is how the IFR was designed – as an action for when encounters exceed the ability of our system to deliver timely consequences,” DHS said in a statement Tuesday.

But Gonzalez says he believes it should stay in place.

“I think until we really get the border under control, we should leave that order in effect, and I think we will,” he said.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.

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