New asylum rules will affect repressors who try to enter the United States.

The Biden administration announced significant changes to political asylum policy that could affect the repressors of authoritarian regimes in countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

According to experts consulted by Martí News, these new measures will restrict entry to the US of individuals with criminal records or who have participated in repressive activities.

“They are giving asylum officers at the border the discretion to ask a series of questions that would disqualify immigrants if they participated in the persecution of other people, if they have been convicted or committed non-political crimes. Furthermore, those who have obtained this condition in a third country or are presumed to be a danger to the United States will not be able to request asylum,” the lawyer told the aforementioned media. Loyal Angel.

With the new regulations, officials will be able to make the decision to deny entry to migrants from the initial phase of the process, a significant change from previous practices where eligibility determination was made at a later stage.

These regulations could also affect Cuban dissidents, who are often imprisoned by the regime on fabricated charges of common crimes. "We are concerned that people who have participated in marches or demonstrations, and who have convictions for common crimes, they cannot obtain asylum," Leal added.

The new provisions were described by the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayors as another step to "ensure the safety of the American public by more quickly identifying and removing those individuals who present a security risk and have no legal basis to remain here."

With the new guidelines, those who have ordered, assisted or participated in repressive activities – whether members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (FAR) or the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) – would be disqualified from requesting asylum in the United States.

According to Leal, if the migrant lies at the time of his credible fear interview, or hides information about his participation in repressive activities, he may be reported for fraud and his immigration benefits withdrawn.

The new policy will make such interviews more comprehensive, placing an additional burden on immigration officials. According to a statement of DHS, the proposal aims to improve operational flexibility and help DHS more quickly remove certain noncitizens who are prohibited from asylum and legal withholding of removal.

More than 720,000 people expelled or returned in one year

Since May 12, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expelled or returned more than 720,000 people, according to the aforementioned media.

The tightening of immigration controls at the border is related to the complaints expressed by many activists and Cuban Americans, including congressmen like Marco Rubio, who have denounced the huge number of officials of the Cuban regime who enter the southern United States asking for asylum after repressing and imprisoning dissidents.

The decision is part of visa restriction policies for people who dedicate themselves to repressing and persecuting dissidents, activists and journalists, such as the so-called "Khashoggi Ban", which bans entry to the United States. to the repressors dedicated to these extraterritorial activities.

The changes, which will be effective until May 1, 2024, are designed to speed up the expulsion of those who do not qualify to remain in the country, an issue that has been a focal point in current US political tensions. especially in the context of the upcoming electoral contest.

In recent years, the Democratic president has faced serious pressure within his party to act alone on the border after the failure of a bipartisan Senate immigration plan earlier this year.

Now the president's officials Joe Biden They try to take advantage of the failure of the border agreement to reduce the advantage of Donald Trump in surveys on borders and immigration.