A federal judge blocked Biden's asylum policy aimed at reducing border crossings

A federal judge blocked one of Biden's critical policies for asylum seekers, aimed at reducing border crossings and addressing the border crisis.

The judge held the ruling for 14 days for a possible appeal. The Justice Department confirmed it would present it, according to CNN.

Biden's new border policies were designed a few weeks before the end of Title 42, which served as a corkscrew for a months-long migration crisis at the US-Mexican border.

According to CBS, a government official told the media in February that 11,000 to 13,000 immigrants would enter the US daily without an alternative to Title 42. The Border Patrol encountered nearly 2.4 million immigrants in the southwest land border during the 2022 fiscal year.

Title 42 was the principal instrument the US Government used to expel asylum seekers for health reasons during the pandemic. It expired as the national public health emergency over Covid-19 lapsed on May 11.

Biden's administration announced new laws to replace Title 42 in February and they disqualified certain immigrants from seeking asylum and allowed officials to expel them quickly.

The federal judge blocked one of the regulation's policies stopping some immigrants crossing the border from asking for asylum if they had not requested it in a third country, like Mexico.

According to CNN, the same judge ruled against a similar policy under the Trump administration. In the hearing, he said he could not find any difference between both regulations.

The decision came from a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocate groups that felt the policy put asylum seekers at risk.

Both sides criticized Biden's solutions to the border. Advocacy groups and Republican-led states have sued the administration over the controversial decisions.

The new laws also affect the immigrants crossing the border between posts and who are subject to an "expedited removal" program. That regulation allows border officials to quickly deport those who do not ask for asylum or fail initial screenings.

President Biden has also offered two alternatives for asylum seekers hoping to enter the US: a parole system and a mobile app.

The mobile app is open to any migrant seeking asylum. It allows them to upload their information and go through a pre-screening process to request an appointment in any of the eight border entry posts in Texas, Arizona, or California.

The app is used mainly by asylum seekers who have had to relocate to improvised camps or shelters along the Mexican border. That has created a severe humanitarian crisis, with immigrants waiting months and not being granted asylum requests.

Most of the criticism of the app system has to do with the living conditions of the thousands of migrants that wait by the border of Mexico. Many do not have access to the internet or a mobile phone, and some are constantly threatened by cartel violence in northern Mexico.

On the other hand, the parole system was implemented to allow certain immigrants to request a two-year residency, provided they have a sponsor to cover their expenses and pass health and security checks.

The alternative only works for Nicaraguans, Haitians, Cubans, and Venezuelans. The government promised to accept 30.000 solicitants a month under the program. It started in October 2022 for Venezuelans.

Despite these measures, the border crisis is far from being resolved. Hundreds of thousands of migrants are still stranded in towns all across the Mexican side of the border.

The pandemic and the resulting international economic crisis have made it difficult for developing countries to address the root causes of this migration crisis, including violence, crime, and poverty.