US announces measures to crack down on illegal immigration

Washington, Jan 6

The US government has announced new measures to crack down on illegal immigration.

The measures will "expand and expedite legal pathways for orderly migration" and "result in new consequences for those who fail to use those legal pathways", the White House said in a statement late Thursday.

Individuals who "attempt to enter the US without permission, do not have a legal basis to remain, and cannot be expelled pursuant to Title 42" will be increasingly subject to expedited removal to their country of origin and subject to a five-year ban on re-entry, Xinhua news agency reported citing the statement as saying.

Title 42, which came into effect in spring 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, allows US border officials to automatically expel undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers seeking entry into America.

On December 27, 2022, the Supreme Court voted to keep in place the asylum-limiting measure, blocking thousands of people from crossing the country's border with Mexico.

The policy has been applied about 2.5 million times since March 2020. It was to expire on December 21, 2022.

Before asking Congress for funding on Thursday, President Joe Biden said the country's immigration system is "broken".

On Sunday, he will travel to El Paso, Texas, to assess border enforcement operations.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and at least two other Republican governors sent thousands of migrants from their states to cities led by Democrats last year to protest against the Biden administration's immigration policies and what they called federal inaction to secure America's southern border.

About two million people have been expelled under Title 42 in fiscal years 2021-22, according to US Customs and Border Protection's data.