Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP / Getty Images
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday (June 4) that will temporarily suspend the processing of most asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border when the seven-day average of unauthorized crossings exceeds 2,500. The order will take effect immediately, as the current daily number of people encountered by the Border Patrol between ports of entry is well over 2,500.
The U.S. asylum system is heavily backlogged, with over one million cases currently pending approval in immigration courts. The average asylum seeker waits around four years before receiving a hearing in immigration court. The Biden Administration believes that the executive order will help reduce the backlog and make the system more efficient.
"President Biden believes we must secure our border. That is why today, he announced executive actions to bar migrants who cross our Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum. These actions will be in effect when high levels of encounters at the Southern Border exceed our ability to deliver timely consequences, as is the case today," a senior Administration official said in a statement.
The order contains humanitarian exceptions for unaccompanied children and victims of trafficking.
The executive order is expected to face legal challenges, as well as criticism from some on the left who have argued it echoes Trump's moves against asylum seekers. However, the Biden administration is confident that the steps they are taking are consistent with their obligations under international law.