Congressman Henry Cuellar says Biden’s rule to restrict asylum is ‘reasonable’

President Joe Biden talks with Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, left, as they walk along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso Texas, last month.

Andrew Harnik/AP

Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), whose district includes parts of the U.S.-Mexico border, has long been critical of how Republicans and Democrats have dealt with immigration.

But he says a new asylum rule proposed by the Biden administration is a “reasonable” way to deal with the record number of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The rule, which was proposed last week, would presume that migrants are ineligible for asylum if they cross illegally, don’t ask for protection in countries they pass, and don’t notify U.S. authorities of their intention to seek asylum through a mobile app.

Immigration rights advocates have criticized the rule as a violation of President Biden’s own promises to restore asylum and have compared it to a Trump-era asylum ban.

Congressman Cuellar says the number of migrants arriving at the southern border is overwhelming local officials and resources.

“If somebody is 1,500 miles away, it is so easy for people to say, ‘Oh, yeah, let everybody in,’ ” he says.

“But if you’re a mayor, you’re a county judge, you’re a landowner, you’re somebody down here at the border — and you see this day after day after day… you’re going to have a very different perspective. I think I’m speaking for my community [when I say] we just want to have order.”

Below are highlights from Cueller’s interview with All Things Considered on Sunday, edited for length and clarity.

On how he responds to criticism that the proposed rule is similar to Trump immigration policies, like the so-called “Remain in Mexico”…