Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was in Tucson this week touting what his agency says is a successful first few weeks of President Joe Biden’s executive order along the border.
The order introduced drastic restrictions on the ability to ask for asylum along the border — despite international agreements and U.S. law that requires it.
The White House said it was a way to respond to the high numbers of immigrants encountered by border officers in recent months. Mayorkas told reporters Tuesday that the number of people being returned to their home countries has shot up.
“As a result, in Tucson we have seen a more than 80% decrease of individuals placed into immigration proceedings in our backlogged court system,” he said.
Under the new order, immigrants apprehended by Border Patrol between ports of entry are not guaranteed a credible fear screening from asylum officers in the U.S. Rights groups have filed suit against it. Their suit argues the new policy violates a portion of the U.S. immigration statute, which says people presently in the U.S. have the right to ask for asylum, regardless of how they arrived.
Mayorkas said since the order went into effect three weeks ago, more than 100 repatriation flights have gone out to more than 20 countries, and more than 24,000 immigrants have been removed from the U.S.
“We are removing more noncitizens without a legal basis to stay here, nearly doubling the rate at which we are removing noncitizens directly from Border Patrol custody, and across our southern border,” he said.
Under the new policy, most people apprehended are sent into speedy removal proceedings and barred from requesting asylum in the U.S.
DHS has said those who want to ask for asylum must do so through CBP One, a U.S. government-run smartphone app through which asylum seekers can request an appointment with U.S. border officers at a handful of ports border wide.
Mayorkas told reporters between 1,400 and 1,500 appointments are available border-wide everyday and would remain fixed at that number for now.
