The Biden administration unveiled a new initiative Thursday to expedite asylum cases of migrants who illegally cross the US border along Mexico, according to CBS News.
Under the program, single migrant adults released by federal border officials will be eligible for a fast-tracked asylum process. The Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department, which oversees the nation's immigration courts, are collaborating on the system.
Senior US officials said that the initiative aims to quickly grant asylum to migrants with legitimate cases and swiftly reject weaker cases.
Federal officials under both Republican and Democratic administrations have argued that the current system, with its prolonged wait times, often exceeding four years, acts as a "pull factor" for economic migrants, who use the asylum process to work in the US.
The immigration court system has been facing a surge of cases as nearly 3.5 million remain unresolved, with fewer than 800 judges managing the deluge.
This new program, meanwhile, seeks to address this backlog by requiring immigration judges to issue decisions within 180 days for selected cases, instead of years.
Single migrant adults who plan to reside in five major US cities, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City, could be chosen for the new process.
However, officials did not disclose the number of migrants expected to be processed through the fast-track program.
As of now, 10 judges have been assigned to handle these fast-track cases, according to an official.
"This administrative step is no substitute for the sweeping and much-needed changes that the bipartisan Senate bill would deliver, but in the absence of congressional action we will do what we can to most effectively enforce the law and discourage irregular migration," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement Thursday.
