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New asylum application policy will take effect in the coming months

FILE - A group of Brazilian migrants make their way around a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma, Ariz., seeking asylum in the United States after crossing over from Mexico, June 8, 2021. border. The Biden administration has unveiled new procedures to handle asylum claims at the U.S. southern border, hoping to decide cases in months instead of years. The rules empower asylum officers to grant or deny claims, an authority that has been limited to immigration judges for people arriving at the border with Mexico. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

The Biden administration announced a new policy Thursday that overhauls the system for immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

Immigration judges will no longer hear claims.

Instead, asylum officers with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be in charge of hearing and evaluating cases.

Anyone whose application is denied could request an appeal or “reconsideration” from USCIS.

If their application is rejected again, the applicant could take their case to the Board of Immigration Appeals and federal circuit courts.

If the application is denied once again, the person would be deported.

The rule would not apply to children who arrived in the country without a parent.

The Biden administration estimates the asylum application process will be shortened to about six months; a process that usually takes about five years.

Currently, there are more than 670,000 pending cases, according to data gathered by Syracuse University researchers.

The new policy will take effect in late May or June.

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