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Dramatic changes could be coming to the US asylum process, under changes being mulled over by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
A new rule aims to reduce the number of immigrants making fraudulent claims to obtain work authorizations; increase security checks on applicants; and cut processing times and backlog significantly.
If the rule, announced on Friday, is finalized, it will represent one of the most significant changes to the asylum and work-authorization system in decades.
Between 2021 and 2024, 17 million individuals applied for asylum in the US.
“We are proposing an overhaul of the asylum system to enforce the rules and reduce the backlog we inherited from the prior administration,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“Aliens are not entitled to work while we process their asylum applications.”
Employment authorizations would be paused until processing times reach 180 days or lower. On the basis of current wait times, it could take between 14 and 173 years for that threshold to be reached.
The proposal would also introduce more selective criteria for asylum-based work permits and prevent illegal immigrants from receiving new permits or extending existing ones.
An exception would be made for individuals who entered the US illegally under fear of persecution, torture or for another valid reason and notified authorities within 48 hours of entry.
“For too long, a fraudulent asylum claim has been an easy path to working in the United States, overwhelming our immigration system with meritless applications,” a DHS spokesperson said.
