(NewsNation) — With Title 42 set to expire next month, President Joe Biden’s administration will begin testing a system for faster asylum screenings for migrants caught crossing the southern border illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
U.S. officers will conduct initial asylum screenings for a small number of migrants within days while they remain in the custody of border authorities. Interviews will take place over the phone, with migrants having access to legal counsel during the screenings.
Under the Trump-era Title 42 policy, U.S. authorities could immediately expel migrants crossing illegally back to Mexico without an asylum hearing. This policy is set to expire on May 11, as the Biden administration braces for an increase in illegal crossings.
Migrants living on the streets of Ciudad Juarez told NewsNation they were frustrated with the government app “CBP One,” saying they have tried for months to get an asylum interview appointment with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Depending on the results of the experiment with faster asylum screenings, the Biden administration will decide to apply it more broadly in the future.