"For too long, the asylum system has been used to delay proceedings and obtain work permits, rather than to present legitimate claims for protection," said Joseph Edlow, Director of USCIS.
"The United States asylum system exists to protect individuals who truly fear persecution, and this rule will help ensure that resources are directed toward resolving those claims in a timely manner, rather than benefiting those seeking to use the system as a legal loophole."
The agency noted it will accept public comments on the immediate policy before issuing a finalized rule.
Rights advocates criticized the policy shift for eliminating standard procedural evaluations for vulnerable populations fleeing foreign persecution.
"The ultimate impact of making this change certainly seems to be to try to reject as many cases as possible, without regard to the fairness of the determination," said Doris Meissner, Director of the U.
S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute.
>>> NYC Opens 51 Safe Locations as Flash Flood Threats Persist
The policy builds upon presidential proclamations barring border asylum entries and recent Supreme Court rulings holding that migrants detained on the Mexican side of the border have not officially arrived in the United States.
