1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i The Department of Homeland Securitys “Metering” Policy: Legal Issues Updated March 8, 2022 Generally, a non-U.S. national (alien, as the term is used in the Immigration and Nationality Act INA) who arrive
2、s in the United States without valid documentation is subject to a streamlined, expedited removal process, but may pursue asylum and related protections if the alien demonstrates a credible fear of persecution in his or her country of origin. Before the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,
3、the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHSs) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had been limiting the number of asylum seekers who were processed each day at designated ports of entry along the U.S. southern border. Aliens affected by this policy generally had not yet reached the U.S. border an
4、d were required to remain in Mexico until CBP decided it could process them. This policyknown as “metering”sought to address an “unprecedented rise in asylum requests,” as well as safety and health concerns resulting from overcrowding at ports of entry. The policy has led to long wait times and over