WASHINGTON: The Biden administration on Tuesday proposed tough new restrictions on asylum-seekers that said it wanted to prevent migrant overcrowding at the southern border as COVID-related controls were lifted.

The new rules require migrants to the US to submit an asylum application online through the CBP One app and schedule a meeting with US officials, or submit an asylum application to the country they are visiting before arriving at a US border. 

Anyone who crosses the border without going through that process will be considered ineligible for asylum.

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Strict rules imposed by President Joe Biden's predecessor Donald Trump that were ultimately found to be unconstitutional appear to be partially revived by the proposed rules, published in the Federal Register for a 30-day comment period before implementation. They went.

However, the Biden administration claimed it was the only course of action in the absence of congressional action to address the border situation, where up to 200,000 people attempt to cross the border each month, most of them seeking asylum. .

"This administration will not allow large-scale lawlessness and disorder at the border because of Congress's failure to act," said an official who wished to remain anonymous.

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The new rules enforce a system that is already in use for immigrants from Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Ukraine.

The new rules are expected to take effect when the existing Title 42 program, which uses the COVID-19 pandemic to severely restrict immigration, is repealed, which is expected on May 11.

In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “We are strengthening the availability of legal, orderly pathways for immigrants, while at the same time proposing new consequences for those who fail to use the procedures " made available to them by the United States and its regional partners."

The new rules will expire after 24 months, according to officials, but they did not say who would replace them.

The new policy was criticized by immigration organizations, who compared it to Trump's efforts to make it nearly impossible to enter the country based on an asylum request.

According to Oxfam America President Abby Maxman, "This sweeping asylum ban will close the door to countless refugees seeking safety and security in the United States."

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She argued that the policy was illegal, immoral, and would have a dire effect on the men, women, and children seeking protection.