Biden Admin to Double Number of Asylum Officers at Border, Empower Them to Accept or Reject Arrivals

Asylum seekers pass U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers while crossing an international bridge from Mexico into the United States in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on March 17, 2021. John Moore/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden’s administration unveiled a plan to overhaul the U.S. asylum system on Wednesday, including a doubling of staff to try to speed processing of immigrants arriving at the southern border, where arrests have soared to 20-year highs.

The proposed rule would authorize asylum officers to accept or reject migrants’ claims for protection soon after they cross the border, bypassing backlogged U.S. immigration courts where cases often take years to be resolved by judges.