The Trump administration says it will deny asylum to migrants who enter the country illegally. The administration is invoking extraordinary presidential national security powers to tighten the border as caravans of Central Americans slowly approach the United States.
The measures are meant to funnel asylum seekers through official border crossings for speedy rulings, officials said, instead of having them try to circumvent such crossings on the nearly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border. But the busy ports of entry already have long lines and waits, forcing immigration officials to tell some migrants to come back to make their claims.
The move was spurred in part by caravans of Central American migrants slowly moving north on foot, but officials say it will apply to anyone caught crossing illegally.
