Biden Imposes Restrictions to Stop Migrants Seeking Asylum at U.S. Border

As part of sweeping enforcement efforts, the U.S. President Joe Biden has imposed new restrictions order to stop migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

He said such migrants could be denied the chance to claim asylum and would be quickly deported or turned back to Mexico.

According to Biden, the new measures will take effect immediately and will have exceptions for unaccompanied children, people who face serious medical or safety threats and victims of trafficking, a senior official said.

Biden, a Democrat, ahead of American election on November 5 is adopting all approach to tighten border security as immigration has emerged as a top issue for Americans.

The new asylum restrictions are not permanent, the U.S. official said, "They are activated when the daily average of border arrests tops 2,500 over a week and will be paused when arrests drop below 1,500 per day."

The deterrent measures "will significantly increase consequences for those who cross the southern border unlawfully," the official said, requesting anonymity.

Key operational questions about how the new measures will be implemented remain unclear, however, including how the administration would quickly deport migrants from far-away and uncooperative countries and how many non-Mexican migrants Mexico would accept under the new enforcement regime.