Biden administration toughens asylum restrictions ahead of polls; rights group call move 'cruel'

Washington DC [US], October 1 : In a major development ahead of the upcoming US presidential elections, the Joe Biden administration is hardening the asylum restrictions along the US-Mexico border, by reducing the number of asylum seekers entering the country while also ensuring strict regulations to monitor it, Al Jazeera reported.
Notably, Donald Trump, the challenger of Vice President Kamala Harris in the November polls, has presented a strong hardline stance on immigration, while attacking the Democrats for being too 'lax' and allowing "hundreds of thousands" of illegal immigrants to enter the country.
Illegal immigration is a serious and contentious political issue in the US, which is seeing hot debates and discussions in American society, according to Al Jazeera.
The new rules announced on Monday, expand the restrictions introduced in June earlier this year to bar migrants from being granted asylum when US government officials believe the southern border of the country is overwhelmed.
"This action has been taken in parallel with other Administration actions that have both increased enforcement and delivered to asylum seekers safe and lawful pathways to humanitarian relief," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.
Under the previous rules, the US government could restrict asylum access when the number of migrants and asylum seekers trying to enter the country from official border crossings touched a cap of 2,500 people per day.
With the new regulations in effect from Tuesday, the daily numbers will have to be below 1,500 for nearly a month before the restrictions can be lifted. The administration is now also counting all children towards that number, whereas previously only migrant children from Mexico were counted, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Amy Fischer, director of refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA, said, "Instead of spending billions of taxpayer dollars to fuel cruel border policies that create heartbreaking human rights and humanitarian crises, the United States must invest in a coordinated welcome and reception system that meets the immediate and long-term needs of people seeking safety".
Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR's director of legal protection, noted that Article 31 of the UN Refugee Convention states that countries are barred from penalising asylum seekers for entering the country irregularly in search of protection.
"That article is there because many people flee life-threatening situations and they have no other choice but to take irregular manners of travel, and they often don't have the opportunity to obtain a travel document or a visa before they've fled their country," she said.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also slammed the new rules as illegal.
"The asylum law Congress enacted recognizes that people fleeing danger should not be forced to wait and try to secure an appointment to seek asylum. This restrictive rule is not just immoral but illegal," the group said in a social media post.
Under US immigration law, any non-citizens on US soil must be granted due process to seek asylum if they fear for their lives or freedom "on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion", Al Jazeera reported.
The Republicans have accused Democrats of being too lax on the issue. Trump and his running mate JD Vance have promised to carry out the "largest deportation campaign" in US history if elected.
Last week, Harris pledged to continue the Biden administration's crackdown on irregular crossings at the country's southern border with Mexico.
"The United States is a sovereign nation," Harris said in Arizona on Friday. "And I believe we have a duty to set rules at our border and to enforce them."
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has defended its policies as helping to stem a surge in irregular border crossings.
US border authorities have apprehended roughly 54,000 migrants and asylum seekers so far in September, down steeply from a peak of 250,000 in December, Al Jazeera reported citing a Department of Homeland Security official.