The possibility of 14,000 migrant crossings a day is pushing the Biden administration toward a new rule that would severely limit migrants’ ability to qualify for asylum at the southern border, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Officials are concerned that Border Patrol stations will face acute overcrowding and Department of Homeland Security resources will be overwhelmed when the pandemic-era Title 42 policy ends on Dec. 21, according to sources familiar with the plans.
Driving the news: Title 42, implemented during the Trump administration and extended by President Biden, allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants and asylum seekers at the border. It’s scheduled to be lifted in less than two weeks, barring last-minute court intervention.
Encounters with migrants at the southern border are already at record levels, with the daily tally surpassing 9,000 three times in the first week and a half of December, the sources told Axios.
Officials now are preparing for the possibility of between 12,000 to 14,000 migrants attempting to cross every day.
Read more at Axios.com