U.S. to empower asylum officials to reject more migrants earlier in process

The Biden administration is planning to announce a new regulation as early as Thursday that is designed to allow immigration officials to deport migrants who are ineligible for U.S. asylum earlier in the process, three sources familiar with the internal plans told CBS News.

The regulation by the Department of Homeland Security would apply to migrants who ask for asylum after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to talk about the rule before its formal announcement.

It would instruct government asylum officers to apply certain barriers to asylum that are already part of U.S. law during so-called credible fear interviews. This is the first step in the years-long asylum process. Those who pass these interviews are allowed to seek asylum before an immigration judge, while those who fail them can be deported expeditiously.