Officials Look to Quadruple Number of Asylum Seekers Sent Back Over Border
RAMP UP
Border officials are aiming to quadruple the number of asylum seekers sent back over the southern border each day, a Trump administration official told the Associated Press. The move is meant to address the swelling number of Central Americans arriving in the country as immigration officials warn that the system is at a breaking point. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen sent a letter to Congress this week requesting resources to deport families faster, and met with Central American and Mexican officials. Hundreds of officers who usually screen cargo and vehicles at ports of entry have been reassigned to manage migrants. On Friday, Trump threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border entirely, a move that would have serious economic repercussions.