Amid mounting pressure in recent months, the Biden administration on Wednesday issued a new policy to speed up how asylum claims are processed at the border.

The plans call for hiring an additional 1,000 asylum officers and 1,000 support staff to work with the 800 asylum officers already at the border. The U.S. immigration court system is currently processing 1 million cases. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services estimates a minimum of 800 employees need to be hired and $180 million will need to be spent to implement the process for roughly 75,000 annual cases.

“Individuals who are eligible will receive relief more swiftly, while those who are not eligible will be removed,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“We are building an immigration system that is designed to ensure due process, respect human dignity, and promote equality."

The proposed rule calls for amending "the regulations governing the determination of certain protection claims raised by individuals subject to expedited removal and found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture."

The rule would shift the power from an immigration judge to an asylum officer to determine whether a person should be granted asylum.

Asylum officers would be allowed to accept or reject a migrant's claims for protection as soon as they cross the border. This will speed up the process so migrant cases do not clog the court system and allow the U.S. to promptly and efficiently handle claims.

“We hope to access these claims within three months of arrival, a lot of that will depend on the number of officers hired,” said a senior immigration official.

The biggest proposed immigration change is the 21-point immigration plan unveiled in July that seeks to strengthen anti-smuggling and anti-trafficking operations, maximize legal representation, establish migration resource centers, expand refugee processing, and expand access to temporary work visas.

In early August, the Biden administration indefinitely extended a Trump-era pandemic policy, known as Title 42, that expels undocumented migrants as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at holding facilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it would review the situation every 60 days.

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