The Biden administration is reportedly considering making changes to the Family Expedited Removal Management program that would require asylum-seeking unlawful migrants to remain near the border while authorities review their cases.
The change, if enacted, would limit the ability of unlawful migrant families to travel into the U.S. interior, requiring them to remain in Texas or other border states. At least one adult in the family would be required to wear a GPS monitor, allowing the federal government to track their location, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Families that are required to stay in the border state would then undergo an asylum screening process to determine whether they will be allowed to remain in the United States.
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that it is not uncommon for such policy changes to be discussed.
“DHS continuously holds policy and operational discussions on how to leverage our authorities to ensure a fair, humane, and effective immigration process that efficiently removes those without a lawful basis to stay in the country,” the spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times.
While such a change could conceivably make for a quicker deportation process, it is likely to have opponents in Texas and other border states.
Gov. Greg Abbott has been sending busloads of unlawful migrants to other states in an attempt to ease the burden on overrun border towns in Texas and raise awareness about the crisis at the border. Since the busing began in April 2022, roughly 35,000 unlawful migrants have been sent to self-declared sanctuary cities.
“Texas’ small border towns remain overwhelmed and overrun by the thousands of people illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico because of President Biden’s refusal to secure the border,” Abbott said when he announced the busing initiative.
“Our border communities are on the frontlines of President Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border.”
The National Immigrant Justice Center has also been critical of the Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) program.
“Families are rushed to removal within weeks of their arrival to the United States, without a fair opportunity to present their cases, and often without understanding the proceedings unfolding around them,” wrote the center in a policy brief published on August 31.
If the changes being discussed are implemented, it would be an expansion of the FERM program, which has been using GPS tracking and curfews to monitor families since its inception.
FERM was initially implemented in four cities in May but was expanded to include a total of 13 cities by the end of July, according to ABC News. The news outlet reported that the number of cities under FERM is expected to expand to 40 by the end of September.
