The Trump administration moved Monday to declare ineligible for asylum most migrants who cross the US southern border after passing through Mexico.
A new rule redefining asylum eligibility — to take effect on Tuesday — is the latest attempt to stem the flow of undocumented migrants into the country, and comes with the White House frustrated at Congress’s failure to toughen immigration laws.
Cracking down on migration has been a signature policy of President Donald Trump.
“The United States is a generous country but is being completely overwhelmed by the burdens associated with apprehending and processing hundreds of thousands of aliens along the southern border,” Attorney General Bill Barr said in a statement.
“This rule will decrease forum shopping by economic migrants and those who seek to exploit our asylum system to obtain entry to the United States,” Barr added.
