The administration of US President Joe Biden has unveiled a plan that would make it more difficult for migrants to request asylum after the removal of Covid border controls in May.
Adults seeking asylum would need to use an app to schedule a meeting with US authorities or apply for asylum in another nation first before traveling to the US.
If migrants do not comply, they will not be eligible if they cross the border later.
Pro-immigrant organizations compared the proposal to Trump-era policies.
The proposal made on Tuesday is the most stringent immigration restriction ever put forth by Vice President Biden, a Democrat who took office promising to handle the border crisis more humanely than his predecessor's administration did.
The proposed rule would not apply to unaccompanied children; rather, it would only apply to adults and families.
As part of the proposal, migrants would be urged to use a phone app to schedule a meeting with a US immigration official once they reached the border.
Those who missed the appointment would be assumed to have been denied asylum in the other nations they traveled through.
The proposal, which was released jointly by the US Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, enables the prompt deportation of those undocumented migrants.
If approved, it would go into effect on May 11, the day that Trump's health emergency provision, Title 42, which permits the deportation of migrants to Mexico, is set to expire.
With the option of an extension, the Biden policy would be in effect for a period of two years.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced that it would file a lawsuit to prevent the regulation from ever going into effect.
The group contrasted the proposal with previous moves made by former President Donald Trump that were deemed unconstitutional by the courts.
According to Oxfam America, "This broad asylum ban will bar the way for countless refugees looking for safety and protection in the United States. " .
However, an unnamed official from the Biden administration told the AFP news agency: "This administration will not allow mass chaos and disorder at the border because Congress failed to act. ".
The draft proposal is open for public comment for 30 days.
Recent government statistics reveal that every month, about 200,000 undocumented immigrants try to enter the US.
