White House crafting policy to extend how long asylum-seekers are barred from working: report

The White House is crafting policy to extend the length of time asylum-seekers are barred from working, NBC News reported Monday.

Four Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told the news network the new policy would be intended as a deterrent to asylum-seekers from coming to the U.S.

Under the unfinalized policy, asylum-seekers would need to be in the country for at least a year before they could apply for work permits, NBC News reported.

{mosads}Asylum-seekers could previously send in applications for work permits 150 days after applying for asylum, permitting them to work while their case worked through the immigration court system, which takes about two years.

Outgoing acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan was planning to discuss the proposed policy Monday with leaders in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the news network.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and DHS for comment.

NBC News reports that the policy is wanted as a way to reduce the number of Mexican families seeking asylum, which has recently increased. The U.S. has an agreement with Mexico that Central American asylum-seekers must wait in Mexico until their court date in the U.S.

The Trump administration has made several efforts to discourage asylum-seekers from entering U.S., including making applicants ineligible if they pass through another country without asking for asylum there. The Supreme Court ruled to allow this policy to continue while lower court cases on the plan play out.

Trump announced Friday that Chad Wolf will be the new acting DHS secretary.