US asylum measure aimed at curbing claims has limited impact given strained border budget

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — U.S. asylum officers were instructed nearly a year ago to apply a higher screening standard on people who cross the border illegally to claim asylum after passing though another country. But they are too understaffed to have much impact. The Biden administration hails the higher standard as a cornerstone of its border policy in legal challenges, but its application in only a small percentage of arrests shows how budgets can fail to match ambitions. Arrests for illegal crossings temporarily plunged after the rule took effect but rose five of the next six months as migrants and smugglers adjusted, reaching an all-time high in December.