A new fast-track asylum regulation will prevent migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they first pass through another country and don't apply for protection in that nation.
The regulation — first reported by POLITICO in May — would effectively cut off asylum protections for Central American migrants who travel to the U.
S.-Mexico border from their home country.The measure will publish in the Federal Register Tuesday and will take effect immediately. Migrants who entered the U.S. before the effective date will not be subject to the new standard, according to an advance notice posted online Monday.
The move, which comes as President Donald Trump continues to grapple with a recent surge of migration on the southwest border, likely will face court challenges. A federal judge in November temporarily halted a similar Trump policy that blocked migrants who cross between ports of entry from seeking asylum.
President Trump was scheduled to meet Monday at the White House with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales to discuss a possible asylum pact, but the Guatemalan government announced Sunday that the meeting would be postponed amid legal challenges in Guatemala.
U.S. and Mexico officials also have considered the possibility of asylum talks. Mexican officials quietly agreed in June to engage in discussions related to a “safe third country” or regional asylum pact if a current set of counter-migration measures falls to reduce the number of attempted crossings.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine