[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 23, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 84160-84198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28436]



[[Page 84159]]

Vol. 85

Wednesday,

No. 247

December 23, 2020

Part III





Department of Homeland Security





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8 CFR Part 208





Department of Justice





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Executive Office for Immigration Review





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8 CFR Part 1208





Security Bars and Processing; Final Rule

Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / 
Rules and Regulations

[[Page 84160]]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

8 CFR Part 208

RIN 1615-AC57
[Docket No: USCIS 2020-0013]

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Executive Office for Immigration Review

8 CFR Part 1208

[Dir. Order No. 11-2021]
RIN 1125-AB08


Security Bars and Processing

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of 
Homeland Security (``DHS''); Executive Office for Immigration Review, 
Department of Justice (``DOJ'')

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: On July 9, 2020, DHS and DOJ (collectively, ``the 
Departments'') published a notice of proposed rulemaking (``NPRM'') 
clarifying that the danger to the security of the United States 
statutory bar to eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal may 
encompass emergency public health concerns. This final rule responds to 
comments received in response to the NPRM and reflects (and in some 
instances, modifies) intervening changes made to the regulatory 
framework by Procedures for Asylum and Withholding of Removal; Credible 
Fear and Reasonable Fear Review, published December 11, 2020 (``Global 
Asylum Final Rule''). Namely, it amends existing regulations to clarify 
that in certain circumstances there are ``reasonable grounds for 
regarding [an] alien as a danger to the security of the United States'' 
or ``reasonable grounds to believe that [an] alien is a danger to the 
security of the United States'' based on emergency public health 
concerns generated by a communicable disease, making the alien 
ineligible to be granted asylum in the United States under section 208 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (``INA'') or the protection of 
withholding of removal under the INA (``statutory withholding of 
removal'') or subsequent regulations (because of the threat of 
torture). The final rule further allows DHS to exercise its 
prosecutorial discretion regarding how to process individuals subject 
to expedited removal who are determined to be ineligible for asylum and 
withholding of removal in the United States because they are subject to 
the danger to the security of the United States. Finally, the rule 
modifies the process in expedited removal proceedings for screening 
aliens for potential eligibility for deferral of removal (who are 
ineligible for withholding of removal as subject to the danger to the 
security of the United States bar).

DATES: This final rule is effective January 22, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    FOR USCIS: Andrew Davidson, Asylum Division Chief, Refugee, Asylum 
and International Affairs Directorate, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
Services, DHS; telephone 202-272-8377 (not a toll-free call).
    For EOIR: Lauren Alder Reid, Assistant Director, Office of Policy, 
Executive Office for Immigration Review, telephone (703) 305-0289 (not 
a toll-free call).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Executive Summary

    On July 9, 2020, the Departments published an NPRM entitled 
Security Bars and Processing. 85 FR 41201 et seq. (July 9, 2020). In 
this final rule, the Departments respond to comments received in 
response to the NPRM and changes made to the regulatory framework by 
the Global Asylum Final Rule, in order to mitigate the risk of aliens 
bringing a serious communicable \1\ disease to the United States, or 
further spreading it within our country. Thus, the Departments make 
three fundamental and necessary reforms to the Nation's immigration 
system: (1) Clarifying that the statutory ``danger to the security of 
the United States'' bars to eligibility for asylum and withholding of 
removal apply in certain contexts involving public health crises caused 
by communicable diseases so that aliens can be expeditiously removed, 
as appropriate, (2) as to aliens determined during credible fear 
screenings to be ineligible for asylum and withholding of removal on 
the basis of the danger to the security of the United States bars or 
ineligible for asylum for having failed to apply for protection from 
persecution in a third country where potential relief is available 
while en route to the United States pursuant to Asylum Eligibility and 
Procedural Modifications, 85 FR 82260 (December 17, 2020) (``Third-
Country Transit Final Rule''), streamlining screening for potential 
eligibility for deferral of removal in the expedited removal process to 
similarly allow for the expeditious removal of aliens ineligible for 
deferral, and (3) as to aliens determined during credible fear 
screenings to be ineligible for asylum and withholding of removal on 
the basis of the danger to the security of the United States bars or 
ineligible for asylum for having failed to apply for protection from 
persecution in a third country where potential relief is available 
while en route to the United States pursuant to the Third-Country 
Transit Final Rule, but who nevertheless establish that they are more 
likely than not to be tortured in the prospective country of removal, 
allowing DHS to utilize its prosecutorial discretion to either place 
the aliens into asylum-and-withholding-only removal proceedings under 8 
CFR 208.2(c)(1) and 8 CFR 1208.2(c)(1) (``asylum-and-withholding-only 
proceedings'') \2\ or to remove them to third countries where they 
would not be more likely than not to be tortured.
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    \1\ The Department of Health and Human Services defines a 
communicable disease as ``an illness due to a specific infectious 
agent or its toxic products which arises through transmission of 
that agent or its products from an infected person or animal or a 
reservoir to a susceptible host, either directly, or indirectly 
through an intermediate animal host, vector, or the inanimate 
environment.'' 42 CFR 71.1(b).
    \2\ Asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings are adjudicated in 
the same manner that had applied to certain alien crewmembers, 
stowaways, and applicants for admission under the Visa Waiver 
Program, among other categories of aliens who are not entitled by 
statute to removal proceedings under section 240 of the INA, 8 
U.S.C. 1229a. 8 CFR 208.2(c)(1)(i)-(viii), 1208.2(c)(1)(i)-(viii). 
These proceedings generally follow the same rules of procedure that 
apply in section 240 proceedings, but the immigration judge's 
consideration is limited solely to a determination on the alien's 
eligibility for asylum, withholding of removal and deferral of 
removal (and, if the alien is eligible for asylum, whether he or she 
should receive it as a matter of discretion). 8 CFR 208.2(c)(3)(i), 
1208.2(c)(3)(i).
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    The amendments made by this final rule will apply to aliens who 
enter the United States after the rule's effective date, except that 
the amendments will not apply to aliens who had, before the date of an 
applicable joint Secretary of Homeland Security and Attorney General 
designation of an area or areas of the world as to which it is 
necessary for the public health that certain aliens who were present 
there be regarded as a danger to the security of the United States, (1) 
filed asylum and withholding of removal applications, or (2) indicated 
a fear of return in expedited removal proceedings.

II. Background

    The preamble discussion in the NPRM is generally incorporated by 
reference in this final rule.\3\ As of the date the NPRM was published 
on July 9, 2020, 3,239,412 persons in the United

[[Page 84161]]

States were reported to have contracted COVID-19 and 136,145 had 
died.\4\ The number of persons infected has now reached 16,519,668 and 
the death toll has reached 302,992 (as of December 15, 2020).\5\
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    \3\ The preamble discussion is not incorporated to the extent 
specifically noted in this final rule, or in the context of proposed 
regulatory text that is not contained in this final rule.
    \4\ WorldMeter, COVID-19 Tracking Tool, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries (last visited November 
3, 2020).
    \5\ CDC COVID Data Tracker, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days (last visited December 17, 
2020).
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    As of December 2020, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been 
similar to that pandemic impact feared by then-Secretary of Homeland 
Security Michael Chertoff in 2006--``[a] severe pandemic . . . may 
affect the lives of millions of Americans, cause significant numbers of 
illnesses and fatalities, and substantially disrupt our economic and 
social stability''.\6\
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    \6\ DHS, Pandemic Influenza: Preparedness, Response, and 
Recovery: Guide for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources, 
Introduction at 1 (2006) (Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland 
Security), https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/cikrpandemicinfluenzaguide.pdf.
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    On December 16, 2020, the Federal Reserve Board's Open Market 
Committee (``FOMC'') projected that real gross domestic product 
(``GDP'') in fiscal year 2020 would fall by 2.4 percent and that the 
national unemployment rate would be 6.7 percent.\7\ As a result of 
COVID-19, the national unemployment rate rose from 3.5 percent in 
February 2020 to a peak of 14.7 percent in April, before subsequently 
declining, most recently to 6.7 percent in November.\8\ The FOMC also 
projected that GDP will rebound by 4.2 percent in fiscal year 2021 and 
the national unemployment rate will fall to 5.0 percent.\9\ On December 
16, 2020, the FOMC issued a statement finding that:
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    \7\ FOMC, Federal Reserve System, December 16, 2020: FOMC 
Projections Materials, Accessible Version (table 1). The 2.4 percent 
fall in GDP is the median projection of Federal Reserve Board 
members and Federal Reserve Bank presidents from the 4th quarter of 
2019 to the 4th quarter of 2020 under each participant's assessment 
of appropriate monetary policy, with the upper end of central 
tendency (which excludes the three highest and three lowest 
projections) a decrease of 2.2 percent and the lower end of central 
tendency at drop of 2.5 percent. The 6.7 percent unemployment rate 
is the median projection of the average civilian unemployment rate 
in the 4th quarter of 2020, with the upper end of central tendency 
at 6.8 percent and the lower end of range at 6.7 percent.
    \8\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The 
Employment Situation--June 2020 (table A-1) and The Employment 
Situation--November 2020 (table A-1) (both providing the seasonally 
adjusted unemployment rate for the civilian noninstitutional 
population, persons 16 years old and over).
    \9\ December 16, 2020: FOMC Projections Materials, Accessible 
Version (table 1). The 4.2 percent rise in GDP is the median 
projection of Federal Reserve Board members and Federal Reserve Bank 
presidents from the 4th quarter of 2020 to the 4th quarter of 2021 
under each participant's assessment of appropriate monetary policy, 
with the upper end of central tendency an increase of 5.0 percent 
and the lower end of central tendency an increase of 3.7 percent. 
The 5.0 percent unemployment rate is the median projection of the 
average civilian unemployment rate in the 4th quarter of 2021, with 
the upper end of central tendency at 5.4 percent and the lower end 
of range at 4.7 percent.

    The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous human and economic 
hardship across the United States and around the world. Economic 
activity and employment have continued to recover but remain well 
below their levels at the beginning of the year. . . . The path of 
the economy will depend significantly on the course of the virus. 
The ongoing public health crisis will continue to weigh on economic 
activity, employment, and inflation in the near term, and poses 
considerable risks to the economic outlook over the medium term.\10\
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    \10\ FOMC, Federal Reserve System, Federal Open Market Committee 
Statement (December 16, 2020).

    After evaluating the effects of voluntary and mandatory containment 
measures, the International Monetary Fund (``IMF'') reported in October 
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that:

    If lockdowns were largely responsible for the economic 
contraction, it would be reasonable to expect a quick economic 
rebound when they are lifted. But if voluntary social distancing 
played a predominant role, then economic activity would likely 
remain subdued until health risks recede.
    [T]he analysis suggests that lockdowns and voluntary social 
distancing played a near comparable role in driving the economic 
recession. The contribution of voluntary distancing in reducing 
mobility was stronger in advanced economies, where people can work 
from home more easily and sustain periods of temporary unemployment 
because of personal savings and government benefits.
    When looking at the recovery path ahead, the importance of 
voluntary social distancing as a contributing factor to the downturn 
suggests that lifting lockdowns is unlikely to rapidly bring 
economic activity back to potential if health risks remain. . . . 
These findings suggest that economies will continue to operate below 
potential while health risks persist, even if lockdowns are 
lifted.\11\
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    \11\ IMF, World Economic Outlook: Chapter 2: The Great Lockdown: 
Dissecting the Economic Effects at 65-66 (October 2020).
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IV. Public Comments on the Proposed Rule

A. Summary of Public Comments

    On July 9, 2020, the Departments published the NPRM (docket USCIS-
2020-0013). The comment period closed on August 10, 2020. The 
Departments received a total of 5,044 submissions. While some of the 
comments expressed general support for the proposed rule or expressed a 
mixed opinion of the rule, the majority of commenters opposed the rule. 
Of the 5,044 total submissions, 1,417 were unique, nonduplicative 
submissions.
    Overall, and as discussed in more detail below, the Departments 
generally decline to adopt the recommendations of comments that 
misstate the NPRM, offer broad and dire hypothetical or speculative 
effects without any support, are contrary to facts or law or otherwise 
untethered to a reasoned basis, or lack an understanding of relevant 
law and procedures regarding the overall immigration system.

B. Comments Expressing General Support for the Proposed Rule

    Comment: At least two organizations and other individual commenters 
expressed general support for the rule. Commenters who supported the 
rule considered the health and safety of American citizens as paramount 
and agreed that public health concerns should be a consideration in 
evaluating dangers to the national security and considering asylum 
applications. These commenters supported protecting Americans from the 
spread of communicable diseases and urged the U.S. government to 
prevent the healthcare system from becoming overburdened by aliens 
seeking medical care in the United States.
    One commenter noted an increase in COVID-19 cases at border 
crossings and considered aliens infected with COVID-19 as a threat to 
Americans' health and a financial burden to the country. Another 
commenter expressed support for the rule, stating that it was unfair 
for American taxpayers to pay for the healthcare of aliens.
    Some commenters stated that the rule protected U.S. citizens from 
individuals who abuse the law and take advantage of the United States' 
generosity and asylum system.
    Response: The Departments note and appreciate these commenters' 
support for the rule.

C. Comments Expressing General Opposition for the Proposed Rule

    Comment: At least 3,570 commenters, including 2,635 submissions 
associated with form letter campaigns, expressed general disagreement 
with the proposed rule. Many commenters characterized the rule as 
racist, unfair, or otherwise morally wrong. Moreover, some commenters 
interpreted the rule as discriminatory against black, brown, indigenous 
persons, and immigrants. Additionally, commenters characterized the 
rule as an immigration or asylum ban and expressed concerns that the 
rule would make immigration to the United States more difficult or 
eliminate the availability of asylum and

[[Page 84162]]

withholding of removal in the United States. Some commenters stated 
that asylum-seekers do not pose a security or safety threat to the 
United States on the basis of having traveled through other countries.
    Many commenters stated that the rule conflicts with American values 
and the country's deeply rooted policy of welcoming immigrants and 
refugees, and they asserted that its implementation would damage the 
United States' standing and reputation in the world. Commenters 
believed that the United States should welcome asylum-seekers, and that 
immigration benefits the United States both economically and 
culturally. Some commenters believed the rule unlawfully infringes on 
aliens' rights to asylum in the United States.
    Many commenters also generally asserted that the rule provides 
inadequate policy justification or legal analysis, which commenters 
asserted is evidence that it was inappropriately motivated by the 
Administration's personal animus against immigrants. Some commenters 
also rejected the public health rationale, claiming that alternative 
measures could be taken to protect the American public, and that the 
rule would do little to mitigate the spread of disease. Additionally, 
commenters believed that it is unreasonable for the Departments to make 
decisions regarding public health.
    Multiple commenters wrote that the rule would be discriminatory. 
These commenters claimed the rule would generally contravene 
international laws against discrimination, including Article 3 of the 
Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading 
Treatment or Punishment (``CAT''),\12\ the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and 
Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of 
Discrimination against Women, the United States' obligations under the 
1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (``Refugee 
Convention'') \13\ and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of 
Refugees (``Refugee Protocol''),\14\ and Article 7 of the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Some commenters claimed that 
the rule specifically discriminates on the basis of national origin 
because applicants could be barred from asylum eligibility on the basis 
of the countries through which they have travelled.
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    \12\ CAT, art. 3(1), December 10, 1984, S. Treaty Doc. No. 100-
20 (1988), 1465 U.N.T.S. 84.
    \13\ July 28, 1951, 19 U.S.T. 6259, 189 U.N.T.S. 150.
    \14\ Jan. 31, 1967, 19 U.S.T. 6223, 606 U.N.T.S. 268. Article 
33.1 of the Refugee Convention states that ``[n]o Contracting State 
shall expel or return (`refouler') a refugee in any manner 
whatsoever to the frontiers or territories where his life or freedom 
would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, 
membership or a particular social group or political opinion.'' 19 
U.S.T. 6259, 6276, 189 U.N.T.S. 150, 176 (emphasis added). In 1968, 
the United States acceded to the Refugee Protocol, which bound 
parties to comply with the substantive provisions of Articles 2 
through 34 of the Convention with respect to refugees. See I.N.S. v. 
Cardoza-Fonseca, 480 U.S. 421, 429 (1987).
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    Some commenters said the rule violates guidance provided by the 
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (``UNHCR'') because it 
denies asylum in ``blanket terms'' based on consideration of the 
prevalence of a disease in the countries through which asylum seekers 
have travelled and because the standard of evidence for triggering the 
bar is low.
    Response: To provide an overview of the Departments' response to 
these comments, the Departments emphatically disagree with contentions 
that the rule is immoral, motivated by racial animus, or promulgated 
with discriminatory intent. This rulemaking applies equally to all 
asylum seekers. The demographics of asylum seekers are as vast and 
varied as the number of countries around the globe and the Departments 
did not promulgate this rule to impact any particular race, religion, 
nationality, or category of aliens who may seek asylum.
    The Departments also strongly disagree that this rule illegally 
infringes on the right to seek asylum. Unlike statutory withholding of 
removal and protections under the regulations issued pursuant to the 
legislation implementing Article 3 of CAT (``CAT regulations''), asylum 
is a discretionary benefit. No one has the right to be granted asylum 
in the United States and this rule does not alter an alien's ability to 
seek asylum through the statutorily-prescribed channels, including 
credible fear interviews for aliens in expedited removal proceedings. 
Additionally, aliens subject to the bars imposed by this rule on asylum 
and withholding of removal may still receive protection against removal 
if they establish they are eligible for deferral of removal under the 
CAT regulations.
    The United States continues to fulfill its international 
commitments as implemented by domestic law. This rule merely reflects 
the need to protect the American public during times of extraordinary 
threats to the public health from pandemic diseases, as permitted by 
those laws.
    The Departments have considered and rejected alternatives to 
mitigate the spread of communicable disease within U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection (``CBP'') facilities at the border. Although CBP has 
policies and procedures in place to handle communicable diseases, CBP 
is not equipped to provide medical support sufficient to meet the 
unique and specialized challenges posed by particularly infectious or 
highly contagious illnesses or diseases brought into CBP facilities. Of 
the 136 CBP facilities along the land and coastal borders, only 46 
facilities, all located on the southern land border with Mexico, have 
contracted medical support on location. Even that support is not 
currently designed to diagnose, treat, and manage certain infectious or 
highly contagious illnesses or diseases--particularly novel diseases. 
Moreover, many CBP facilities, particularly along the southern land 
border, are located in remote locations distant from hospitals and 
other medical care and supplies. In short, if a highly contagious 
illness or disease were to be transmitted within a CBP facility, CBP 
operations could face significant disruption.
    As the Departments explain below, the U.S. government is not bound 
by UNHCR guidance. And the Departments disagree with the premise that 
the rule's standards for triggering the bars to eligibility for asylum 
and withholding of removal are inadequate. The Departments proposed the 
rule to clarify that authorities provided by Congress can be used to 
mitigate harms arising from the spread of communicable disease to DHS 
officers on the border, aliens in DHS custody, and the general public, 
as well as significant operational and resource strains associated with 
public health procedures and protocol the Departments must implement, 
and in the case of COVID-19, are implementing, to mitigate the spread 
of communicable disease. Additionally, the rule requires that the 
application of the security bars to asylum and withholding of removal 
be tailored to the specific threat posed by the relevant public health 
emergency.

D. Basis for the Rule

1. Legal Authority
    Several commenters generally argued that the proposed rule is 
contrary to international or domestic law, including the Refugee 
Convention and Refugee Protocol, CAT, and the INA, and is contrary to 
Congressional intent in enacting these laws and ratifying these 
treaties to provide protection to those fleeing persecution or torture.

[[Page 84163]]

Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (``AEDPA'')
    Comment: Commenters argued that the proposed rule ignores or 
contradicts Congressional intent by not acknowledging the distinction 
between national security and economic concerns in AEDPA, citing 
legislative history and sections 413 and 421 of the legislation, which 
incorporated the terrorism-related removal grounds at INA 
212(a)(3)(B)(i) and 237(a)(4)(B) as mandatory bars to eligibility for 
asylum and withholding of removal. The commenters argued that Congress 
intended for these provisions to limit the scope of danger to the 
security of the United States bars to those aliens who have engaged in 
violent acts or other terrorism-related activity, in marked contrast to 
the type of threat posed by a communicable disease.
    Response: The Departments disagree with the commenters' analysis of 
sections 413 and 421 of AEDPA. As discussed in the NPRM, with respect 
to aliens whom there are reasonable grounds for regarding or believing 
are a danger to the security of the United States and thus ineligible 
for asylum and withholding of removal, the scope of the term extends 
well beyond terrorism considerations, and national defense 
considerations as well. The Attorney General has previously determined 
that ``danger to the security of the United States'' in the context of 
the bar to eligibility for withholding of removal encompasses 
considerations of defense, foreign relations, and the economy, finding 
that:

    The INA defines ``national security'' [in the context of the 
designation process for foreign terrorist organizations] to mean 
``the national defense, foreign relations, or economic interests of 
the United States.'' Section 219(c)(2) of the Act, 8 U.S.C. 
1189(c)(2) (2000). Read as a whole, therefore, the phrase ``danger 
to the security of the United States'' is best understood to mean a 
risk to the Nation's defense, foreign relations, or economic 
interests.\15\
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    \15\ Matter of A-H-, 23 I&N Dec. 774, 788 (AG 2005).

    The INA's definition of ``national security'' referred to by the 
Attorney General provides additional evidence that the term--along with 
the term ``danger to the security of the United States''--should be 
read to encompass concerns beyond those concerning national defense and 
terrorism. In fact, the definition was enacted in 1996 as section 
401(a) of title IV of AEDPA and was added as enacted by the House-
Senate Conference Committee.\16\ The proposed legislation as originally 
passed by the Senate defined ``national security'' to mean ``the 
national defense and foreign relations of the United States.'' \17\ 
That version of the bill may have considered economic concerns as 
separate from national security concerns. For example, it provided that 
in designating a foreign terrorist organization, the Secretary of State 
would have had to find that ``the organization's terrorism activities 
threaten the security of United States citizens, national security, 
foreign policy, or the economy of the United States''--listing 
''national security'' and ``the economy'' as two independent 
considerations.\18\ In addition, the section included a finding that 
also differentiated between national security concerns and those 
related to foreign policy and the economy. Congress found that:
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    \16\ H.R. Rep. No. 104-518, at 38 (1996) (Conf. Rep.).
    \17\ 142 Cong. Rec. H2268-03, at H2276 (Mar. 14, 1996) (S. 735, 
title VI, 401(a)).
    \18\ Section 401(a) of title IV of S. 735 (as passed the Senate 
on June 7, 1995), 141 Cong. Rec. S7864 (July 7, 1995).

    (B) [T]he Nation's security interests are gravely affected by 
the terrorist attacks carried out overseas against United States 
Government facilities and officials, and against American citizens 
present in foreign countries;
    (C) United States foreign policy and economic interests are 
profoundly affected by terrorist acts overseas directed against 
foreign governments and their people . . . .\19\
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    \19\ Id.

But Congress then seemingly abandoned this bifurcation between security 
and the economy. First, the Conference Report merged economic 
considerations into the definition of national security. Therefore, to 
the extent one accepts legislative history as a relevant consideration 
when interpreting the meaning of statutory terms, the change in 
phrasing in the Conference Report suggests a conscious decision that 
economic considerations are subsumed within a general reference to 
national security. Second, the explicit reference to economic 
considerations in the earlier draft of the legislation, when discussing 
the threats posed by terroristic activities, also implies a connection 
between national security and economic concerns--suggesting that 
considerations related to security in this context are quite broad. 
Finally, the definition in AEDPA operated in the context of the 
designation of foreign terrorist organizations. When national security 
is considered in a much broader context beyond the risk of terrorism, 
as is the case in this rule, it makes even greater sense for it to 
encompass economic concerns (and, consequently, public health concerns 
of such magnitude that they become economic concerns). A pandemic can 
cause immense economic damage, in addition to the human toll of the 
illness. Thus, the entry of aliens who may carry communicable diseases 
to our country or facilitate the spread of such disease within the 
interior of the country could pose a danger to U.S. security well 
within the scope of the statutory bars to eligibility for asylum and 
withholding of removal. The entry of such aliens could also pose a 
danger to national security by threatening DHS's ability to secure our 
border and facilitate lawful trade and commerce.
    Finally, while aliens who are described in the terrorism-related 
removal grounds fall under the ``danger to security'' bars to asylum 
and withholding, there is nothing in the language of those sections 
limiting the application of those bars to terrorism grounds. In fact, 
terrorism-related activity is a separate statutory bar to asylum 
eligibility from the danger to the security of the United States bar. 
And the INA specifies that an alien engaging in such activity ``shall 
be considered to be an alien with respect to whom there are reasonable 
grounds for regarding as a danger to the security of the United 
States,'' INA 241(b)(3)(B), 8 U.S.C. 1231(b)(3)(B), thus indicating 
such an alien represents only a subset of the larger category of aliens 
for whom there are reasonable grounds to believe are a danger to the 
security of the United States.
    The Departments are not making changes to the final rule in 
response to these comments.
Refugee Convention, Refugee Protocol, UNHCR Guidance and Statements, 
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Health 
Regulations
    Comment: Several commenters claimed that the NPRM is inconsistent 
with U.S. obligations under the Refugee Convention and the Refugee 
Protocol, including the principal of nonrefoulement, and that those 
obligations have been implemented into domestic U.S. law through the 
Refugee Act of 1980. They argued that domestic statutes must be 
interpreted consistently with international law where possible, and 
cite sources relating to the U.S. role in negotiation of the Refugee 
Convention and in the ratification of the Refugee Protocol evincing the 
intent of the U.S. not to exclude refugees from protection for reasons 
of health. Commenters argued that the danger to the security of the 
United States bars to asylum and withholding of removal derive from 
Articles 32 and 33(2) of the

[[Page 84164]]

Refugee Convention. They claimed that these provisions regarding 
national security do not encompass health concerns. Several commenters 
also pointed out that withholding of removal is not a discretionary 
benefit but instead a mandatory protection under Article 33 of the 
Refugee Convention as codified at section 241(b)(3) of the INA. Two 
commenters cited UNHCR's guidance and academic papers in arguing that 
the danger to the security of the United States bars must be based on 
individualized determinations. Another commenter specifically argued 
that the ``reasonable person'' standard proposed by the rule, and the 
possibility that a person could be expelled for passing through a 
country where COVID-19 was prevalent without proof of that person's 
infection (via testing), violates UNHCR guidance against refoulement 
without evidence of a health risk. An individual also commented that 
such a denial would violate Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, which guarantees the right to seek and enjoy asylum from 
persecution. A legal services provider cited to UNHCR guidance,\20\ as 
well as U.S. correspondence during the formulation of the Refugee 
Protocol, in arguing the invalidity of security bars applying to an 
entire class of asylum seekers. Another commenter cited to the 2006 
UNHCR guidance for the propositions that (1) the dangers to the 
security of the United States bars must be restrictively interpreted; 
(2) the danger posed to national security must be sufficient to justify 
refoulement; and (3) refoulement must be proportionate to the danger 
presented.\21\ The commenter then concluded that the proposed rule 
would fail under all three considerations. Another commenter stated 
that not considering an asylum seeker's intent with respect to conduct 
that could give rise to a security bar would be contrary to the 
humanitarian social purpose of the Refugee Act and the Refugee 
Convention. Multiple commenters also cited to 2020 UNHCR guidance,\22\ 
as prohibiting the closure of borders for public health reasons without 
preserving asylum seekers' rights under international law, noting that 
the guidance recommended relying on the screening and quarantine of 
asylum seekers, stated that refoulement could not be justified on a 
public health basis and stated that a total lock-out of asylum seekers 
would violate rules of proportionality.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \20\ UNHCR, Advisory Opinion from the UNHCR on the Scope of the 
National Security Exception Under Article 33(2) of the 1951 
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 5 (2006).
    \21\ See, e.g., Message from the President of the United States, 
Transmitting the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, at 
VIII (1968); Dep't of Health, Education, and Welfare (``HEW''), 
Memorandum for Ambassador Graham Martin re: Protocol Relating to the 
Status of Refugees (July 22, 1968); HEW, Letter to Ambassador Graham 
Martin re: Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (July 16, 
1968).
    \22\ UNHCR, Key Legal Considerations on Access to Territory for 
Persons in Need of International Protection in the Context of the 
COVID-19 Response (Mar. 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Several commenters stated that the rule breaches international 
health regulations that bind the United States and require it to 
exercise health powers with full respect for human rights. A legal 
services provider commented that the international health regulations 
provide for the humane treatment of migrants during a screening or 
quarantine period.
    Response: The United States has undertaken certain obligations 
under the Refugee Protocol, which incorporates Articles 2-34 of the 
Refugee Convention. Article 33 of the Refugee Convention, as understood 
in U.S. law, generally precludes state parties from removing 
individuals to any country where their lives or freedom would be 
threatened on account of their race, religion, nationality, political 
opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Congress made the 
decision to implement its non-refoulement obligations under the Refugee 
Protocol through the protection of statutory withholding of removal at 
section 241(b)(3) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1231(b)(3), and in the Foreign 
Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act (``FARRA''), to implement its CAT 
non-refoulement obligations through regulations, which resulted in 
withholding and deferral of removal protections under the CAT 
regulations.\23\ It was Congress's deliberate decision to establish a 
requirement that an alien show it is more likely than not that his or 
her ``life or freedom would be threatened'' for statutory withholding 
of removal, the standard designed to meet U.S. obligations under the 
Refugee Protocol. The Supreme Court stated in INS v. Stevic that ``it 
seems clear that Congress understood that refugee status alone did not 
require [statutory] withholding of deportation, but rather, the alien 
had to satisfy the [more likely than not] standard'' under statutory 
withholding of removal.\24\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \23\ Public Law 105-277, div. G, subdiv. B, title XXII, sec. 
2242 (b), 112 Stat. 2681-822 (1998), codified at 8 U.S.C. 1231 note; 
8 CFR 208.16(b)-(c), 208.17, 208.18; 1208.16(b)-(c), 1208.17, 
1208.18.
    \24\ 467 U.S. 407, 428 (1984) (citation omitted). See Cardoza-
Fonseca, 480 U.S. at 440-41.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    An alien who can demonstrate that he or she would more likely than 
not face persecution on account of a protected ground or torture is 
entitled to withholding of removal or, if more likely than not to be 
tortured but subject to a mandatory bar to eligibility for withholding, 
is entitled to CAT deferral of removal. As the Tenth Circuit has 
stated, ``the Refugee Convention's non-refoulement principle--which 
prohibits the deportation of aliens to countries where the alien will 
experience persecution--is given full effect by the Attorney General's 
withholding-only rule''.\25\ And the Ninth Circuit explained that 
Article 3 of the CAT was implemented in the United States by the FARRA 
and its implementing regulations.\26\ The Departments also note that 
neither of these treaties is self-executing and therefore they are not 
directly enforceable in the U.S. legal context except to the extent 
that they have been implemented by domestic legislation.\27\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \25\ R-S-C v. Sessions, 869 F.3d 1176, 1188 & n.11 (10th Cir. 
2017); see also Cazun v. U.S. Att'y Gen., 856 F.3d 249, 257 & n.16 
(3d Cir. 2017),),); Ramirez-Mejia v. Lynch, 813 F.3d 240, 241 (5th 
Cir. 2016).
    \26\ Maldonado v. Lynch, 786 F.3d 1155, 1162 (9th Cir. 2015).
    \27\ Al-Fara v. Gonzales, 404 F.3d 733, 743 (3d Cir. 2005) 
(``The 1967 Protocol is not self-executing, nor does it confer any 
rights beyond those granted by implementing domestic 
legislation.''); Auguste v. Ridge, 395 F.3d 123, 132 (3d Cir. 2005) 
(CAT ``was not self-executing'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Article 33 of the Refugee Convention includes an exception from 
non-refoulement obligations, similar to the section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) 
security exception, which provides that the benefit of those 
obligations ``may not . . . be claimed by a refugee whom there are 
reasonable grounds for regarding as a danger to the security of the 
country in which he is.'' Rejection of withholding of removal claims 
from aliens who would risk bringing in or further spreading a 
communicable disease such as COVID-19 into the United States is 
therefore consistent with the non-refoulement provisions of the Refugee 
Convention and the Refugee Protocol, as national security concerns 
encompass the security risks associated with an international public 
health emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic, or other communicable 
diseases of public health significance that may arise in the future.
    Asylum under the immigration laws, on the other hand, is a 
discretionary form of relief. Section 208 of the INA reflects the fact 
that Article 34 of the Refugee Convention is precatory and accordingly 
provides that aliens meeting the eligibility requirements for asylum 
``may'' be granted asylum and contains various bases upon which an 
alien meeting the definition of a refugee is

[[Page 84165]]

nonetheless ineligible to apply for or receive asylum and authorizes 
the creation of new eligibility bars through regulation.\28\ The 
federal judiciary has rejected arguments that the Refugee Protocol, as 
implemented in domestic law, requires that every qualified refugee 
receive asylum.\29\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \28\ Article 34 states: ``The Contracting States shall as far as 
possible facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees. 
They shall in particular make every effort to expedite 
naturalization proceedings and to reduce as far as possible the 
charges and costs of such proceedings.'' See also R-S-C, 869 F.3d at 
1188; Mejia v. Sessions, 866 F.3d 573, 588 (4th Cir. 2017), Cazun, 
856 F.3d at 257 & n.16; Ramirez-Mejia, 813 F.3d at 241.
    \29\ DHS v. Thuraissigiam, 140 S. Ct. 1959, 1965 n.4 (2020) 
(``[E]ven if an applicant qualifies, an actual grant of asylum is 
discretionary.''); See also Cardoza-Fonseca, 480 U.S. at 441, Grace 
v. Sessions, 856 F.3d 27, 40 (1st Cir. 2017) (``[W]ithholding of 
removal has long been understood to be a mandatory protection that 
must be given to certain qualifying aliens, while asylum has never 
been so understood'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Supreme Court has ruled that while UNHCR's interpretation of 
(or recommendations regarding) the Refugee Convention and Refugee 
Protocol, such as set forth in the UNHCR Handbook, ``may be a useful 
interpretative aid,'' \30\ it is not binding on the U.S. government, 
recognizing that ``[i]ndeed, the Handbook itself disclaims such force, 
explaining that `the determination of refugee status under the 
[Refugee] Convention and the [Refugee] Protocol . . . is incumbent upon 
the Contracting State in whose territory the refugee finds himself.' '' 
\31\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \30\ INS v. Aguirre-Aguirre, 526 U.S. 415, 427 (1999).
    \31\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a non-binding 
instrument, not an international agreement; thus, it does not impose 
obligations on the United States.\32\ Moreover, although it proclaims 
the right of ``everyone'' to ``seek and to enjoy'' asylum, it does not 
purport to state specific standards for establishing asylum 
eligibility, and it certainly cannot be read to impose an obligation on 
the United States to grant asylum to ``everyone.'' \33\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \32\ Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, 542 U.S. 692, 728, 734-35 (2004) 
(citing John P. Humphrey, The U.N. Charter and the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights, in The International Protection of 
Human Rights 39, 50 (Evan Luard ed., 1967) (quoting Eleanor 
Roosevelt as stating that the Declaration is `` `a statement of 
principles . . . setting up a common standard of achievement for all 
peoples and all nations' and `not a treaty or international 
agreement . . . impos[ing] legal obligations.' '')).
    \33\ Art. 14(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments do not agree with the commenters' assertions that 
the rule is inconsistent with the International Health Regulations. 
This rule implements the immigration authorities of the Departments 
with respect to eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal, 
rather than any public health authorities. Specifically, the rule 
clarifies the Departments' understanding of the bars to eligibility for 
asylum and withholding of removal based on their being reasonable 
grounds for regarding or believing an alien to be a danger to the 
security of the United States. The International Health Regulations do 
not purport to address or govern asylum eligibility, and the 
regulations specifically exclude ``security measures'' from the 
definition of ``health measures.'' \34\ Accordingly, the Departments 
believe the rule is sufficiently tailored to permit the U.S. government 
to implement recommendations stemming from the International Health 
Regulations in concert with the application of the danger to security 
of the United States bars to asylum and withholding of removal in 
contexts where the Secretary and Attorney General determine, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, per the 
framework established by this rule, such recommendations are 
insufficient to ensure the security of the United States. Likewise, the 
Departments disagree that the International Health Regulations 
otherwise bind the Departments from employing this statutory authority.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \34\ World Health Organization, International Health 
Regulations, Art. 1 (3d ed. 2005).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments are not making changes to the final rule in 
response to these comments.
Unaccompanied Alien Children and the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act of 2008
    Comment: Several commenters expressed concern about the proposal's 
impact on unaccompanied alien children (UAC). Some commenters noted 
protections provided for UAC by the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act of 2008 (``TVPRA''), which they argue demonstrates 
a general intent by Congress to protect UAC. A legal services provider 
described details of the TVPRA's provisions requiring UAC whom DHS 
seeks to remove to be placed into removal proceedings under section 240 
of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1229a (``section 240 proceedings''), rather than 
into expedited removal proceedings, and mandating that asylum officers 
within DHS exercise initial jurisdiction over asylum applications filed 
by UAC. The commenter wrote that the proposed rule could undermine 
Congress' intent and deprive UAC of access to benefits such as Special 
Immigrant Juvenile classification. Another commenter argued that 
turning away children at the border, even if they are assessed to have 
been exposed to a covered disease, would be in violation of TVPRA, 
adding that they must be transferred to Office of Refugee Resettlement 
custody and offered the ability to seek protection from removal. An 
advocacy group commented that the proposal could deny statutorily-
protected due process rights to UAC, writing that the possibility of a 
UAC being barred from asylum on the basis of passing through a country, 
despite being exempted by Congress from a bar ``related to the 
availability of protection'' in the same country, would be absurd. It 
stated that other immigration law provisions related to public health 
or medical examination do not bar eligibility for humanitarian or TVPRA 
protections. It further argued that while it is true that the INA 
exempts UAC from expedited removal proceedings, and thus that they 
cannot be expelled from the United States before they have the 
opportunity to make their case, the proposed rule would still remove 
UAC's due process protections and subject them to refoulement. 
Commenters argued that the NPRM is contrary to the best interests of 
children generally, contravening State child welfare laws and the 
Convention on the Rights of the Child. The campaign argued that the 
proposal would violate UAC's right to safety by returning them to 
abusers, persecutors, and traffickers for reasons outside of their 
control.
    Response: It is certainly true that not all of the statutory bars 
to the right to apply for asylum are applicable to UAC (including INA 
section 208(a)(2)(A) regarding aliens who can be removed to a safe 
third country pursuant to a bilateral or multilateral agreement and INA 
section 208(a)(2)(B) regarding aliens who file asylum applications more 
than one year of their arrival). That said, nothing in this rule 
negates the statutory rights and protections of UAC, including under 
the TVPRA. For instance, UAC retain the right to apply for asylum 
notwithstanding section 208(a)(2)(A)-(B) of the INA. INA 208(a)(2)(E). 
Notably, however, Congress did not exempt UAC from any of the statutory 
bars to asylum eligibility. As a result, UAC seeking asylum, like all 
other asylum seekers, are ineligible for asylum if they are subject to 
any of the mandatory bars at section 208(b)(2)(A)(i)-(vi) of the Act, 8 
U.S.C. 1158(b)(2)(A)(i)-(vi)--including the danger to the security of 
the United States bar--and if subject to any additional bars 
implemented pursuant to the Attorney General's and the

[[Page 84166]]

Secretary's authority to establish additional limitations on asylum 
eligibility by regulation. INA 208(b)(2)(C), 8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(2)(C). 
Unfortunately, UAC are not immune from pandemic disease, and those 
bringing such a disease to the United States would have the same impact 
on the security of the United States as any other aliens seeking 
asylum.
    The rule also does not curtail any other rights or protections to 
which UAC are entitled under statute. As commenters note, UAC from 
contiguous territories may withdraw their applications for admission 
and voluntarily return if it is determined that they are not at risk of 
trafficking or persecution and that they are capable of making an 
independent decision to withdraw. 8 U.S.C. 1232(a)(2). All federal 
agencies must transfer UAC to HHS custody within 72 hours of 
determining their UAC status (absent exigent circumstances). 8 U.S.C. 
1232(b)(3). UAC from non-contiguous countries whom DHS seeks to remove 
must be placed in section 240 proceedings, 8 U.S.C. 1232(a)(5)(D), 
where they can pursue asylum or any other relief or protection for 
which they may be eligible and where immigration judges may make some 
modifications to ordinary courtroom proceedings to account for their 
status.\35\ If UAC do apply for asylum, including after they have been 
placed into section 240 proceedings, USCIS has initial jurisdiction 
over their claims. INA 208(b)(3)(C). As UAC are not amenable to 
expedited removal, they will not be impacted by the reforms to the 
expedited removal process contained in this rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \35\ EOIR, Operating Policies and Procedures Memorandum 17-03: 
Guidelines for Immigration Court Cases Involving Juveniles, 
Including Unaccompanied Alien Children (Dec. 20, 2017), https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/oppm17-03/download.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Thus, the Departments are not making changes to the final rule in 
response to these comments.
Public Health Service Act of 1944
    Comment: A legal services provider argued that the proposed rule is 
not supported by the Public Health Service Act of 1944 (``PHSA''). The 
commenter wrote that, as an initial matter, the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention's reliance on that statute in ordering the 
expulsion of certain aliens is improper. The commenter cited articles 
in arguing that PHSA is a quarantine law and not an immigration law, 
and thus that it can only be used for the suspension of entry without 
regard for immigration status rather than as an ``extrajudicial 
deportation system.''
    Response: The authority for this rule is contained in title 8 of 
the U.S. Code's INA, not title 42's PHSA. The rule is intended to 
clarify and operationalize the Departments' understanding of INA 
208(b)(2)(A)(iv) and 241(b)(3)(B)(iv). Accordingly, arguments regarding 
the propriety of the use of the PHSA for expulsions is outside the 
context of this rule. The Departments are not making changes to the 
final rule in response to these comments.
    The Departments would also note that when Congress created the INA 
a mere eight years after the enactment of the PHSA, it explicitly 
considered and affirmed the use of the INA to protect the nation from 
pandemic diseases (though in the context of a different provision, as 
asylum and withholding of removal in their current forms would not 
exist for many years). On April 25, 1952, during House floor 
consideration of H.R. 5678, to be enacted as the (McCarran-Walter) 
Immigration Act of 1952, the bill's author, Francis Walter, entered 
into a debate regarding Abraham Multer's amendment (which was 
decisively defeated) to limit the bill's grant to the President of the 
power to bar the entry of aliens (now found at INA section 212(f)). Mr. 
Multer stated that:

    As the bill is presented, we find a provision . . . which 
provides that at any time the President finds the entry of any 
aliens or class of aliens would be detrimental to the interests of 
the United States he may by proclamation suspend the entry of those 
aliens. The first part of my amendment simply provides that instead 
of being able to do that at any time, the President may make a 
proclamation and effectuate such a suspension only in the event of a 
national emergency, or a state of war.\36\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \36\ 98 Cong. Rec. 4423 (April 25, 1952).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Mr. Walter responded that:

    I rise in opposition to the amendment . . . . [T]his language 
``whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or class 
of aliens in the United States would be detrimental to the interests 
of the United States'' is absolutely essential because when there is 
an outbreak of an epidemic in some country, whence these people are 
coming, it is impossible for Congress to act. People might 
conceivably in large numbers come to the United States and bring all 
sorts of communicable diseases with them. . . . In the judgment of 
the committee, it is advisable at such times to permit the President 
to say that for a certain time we are not going to aggravate that 
situation.\37\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \37\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other Comments Concerning Legal Authority
    Comment: One commenter stated that ``the danger of persecution 
should generally outweigh all but the most egregious of adverse 
factors'' and that the proposal fails to operate by this principle. 
Another cited 2011 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (``ICE'') 
guidance and emphasized that that guidance interpreted the public 
health removal priority narrowly and only when ``articulable'' public 
safety issues were present. The commenter also cited a 2014 DHS 
memorandum as providing that immigrant health concerns should result in 
the delay, rather than expedition, of removal proceedings. One 
commenter stated that, under the INA, asylum seekers cannot be 
penalized where their country is unable or unwilling to protect them 
from persecution. The commenter argued that the proposed rule would 
impute the failure of a country to contain an outbreak to an individual 
and thus contravene this principle.
    Response: The principle that the danger of persecution should 
generally outweigh all but the most egregious of adverse factors 
derives from the Board of Immigration Appeals decision in Matter of 
Pula,\38\ which addressed the exercise of discretion to grant or deny 
asylum to an applicant who had already established eligibility for 
asylum. This final rule, however, addresses a quite distinct question 
by clarifying the Departments' understanding of the mandatory bars to 
eligibility for asylum (and withholding of removal), not an asylum 
officer's or immigration judge's exercise of discretion once an 
applicant establishes such eligibility. If there are reasonable grounds 
for regarding or believing an applicant to be a danger to the security 
of the United States, he or she is statutorily ineligible for asylum 
and withholding of removal, and the adjudicator would not have the 
discretion to grant either form of protection.\39\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \38\ 19 I&N Dec. 467 (BIA 1987).
    \39\ Moreover, the Supreme Court has determined that in 
assessing the ``serious nonpolitical crime'' bar to eligibility for 
withholding of removal, adjudicators need not weigh the risk of 
persecution in determining the applicability of that bar, finding 
that ``[a]s a matter of plain language, it is not obvious that an 
already-completed crime is somehow rendered less serious by 
considering the further circumstance that the alien may be subject 
to persecution if returned to his home country.'' INS v. Aguirre-
Aguirre, 526 U.S. at 426.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The ICE guidance concerning removal priorities and the DHS 
memorandum cited by the commenter are unrelated to eligibility for 
asylum or withholding of removal or the interpretation of the

[[Page 84167]]

statutory bars for aliens for whom there are reasonable grounds for 
regarding or believing are dangers to the security of the United 
States. Finally, the rule seeks to mitigate the risk of a serious 
communicable disease being brought to the United States, or being 
further spread within the country, by clarifying that such public 
health threats must be considered when determining whether there are 
reasonable grounds for regarding or believing an alien to be a danger 
to the security of the United States. The rule does not seek to 
penalize asylum seekers for the action or inaction of another country, 
but is rather intended to safeguard the public health and the security 
of the United States. Accordingly, the Departments are not making 
changes to the final rule in response to these comments.
2. Substantive Comments on Need/Rationale for the Rule
    Comment: Many commenters provided input on the rationale for the 
proposed rule or other feedback on whether the rule is necessary to 
serve its stated goals. Several commenters claimed that its public 
health claims are specious. Many commenters claimed that the rule would 
block asylum eligibility on the pretext of a pandemic response, and 
that the rule improperly assigns a public health risk to asylum-
seekers.
    Commenters also expressed opposition on the basis that the rule 
contains no objective standard for applying the proposed health 
measures. Some suggested that the rule should take into account the 
availability of effective treatments in applying the bars. One 
criticized the rule for not taking into account whether a disease is 
more prevalent in the United States than in the asylum seeker's country 
of origin and that this oversight undermines the rule's rationale. 
Another requested information about the empirical basis for the rule, 
including the number of asylum seekers who have brought contagious 
diseases into the United States, the source of that data, the effects 
of those diseases on the general population, and how such a disease 
could spread in the process of detention and deportation, and argued 
that limiting asylum can only be justified by compelling answers to 
these inquiries. Likewise, a few individual commenters stated that the 
Departments must prove that asylum seekers and other immigrants embody 
a substantial and direct threat to U.S. health and safety during a 
pandemic.
    Multiple commenters said that the Departments' justification for 
the rule is at odds with the administration's messaging regarding the 
severity of the COVID-19 pandemic within the United States.
    Some commenters mischaracterized the rule as a travel ban rather 
than a clarification as to bars to asylum and withholding of removal 
eligibility. These commenters stated that the rationale for the rule is 
flawed because it limits nonessential travel across the southern border 
and denies entry to asylum seekers arriving by land, but grants broad 
exceptions for travel by U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and 
people engaged in trade or education. The commenters believe that other 
individuals traveling across the border are just as likely to transmit 
COVID-19, and therefore questioned the Departments' logic in creating 
the danger to the security of the United States bars.
    Many commenters claimed that the public health objectives of the 
proposed rule could be achieved through alternative means without 
affecting aliens' eligibility to receive asylum or withholding of 
removal. These commenters stated that the United States has existing 
procedures to address communicable diseases without targeting asylum 
eligibility. A few commenters argued that COVID-19 can be managed 
through sensible policies, including implementing quarantine policies, 
social distancing, testing, education and trainings, medical treatment, 
use of personal protective equipment, and contact tracing, citing the 
advice of public health experts. Similarly, a commenter suggested that 
additional legal representation and medical services at the border 
should be considered instead of this rule.
    Many commenters suggested eliminating or altering detention 
policies, or improving conditions of detention, instead of implementing 
the rule. Some argued that the Departments' rationale that asylum 
seekers held in congregate settings pose a risk to staff and other 
detainees is pretextual because the Federal Government has the 
discretion and authority to release asylum seekers and unaccompanied 
minors from custody. These commenters proposed reducing the population 
of aliens in detention centers by releasing aliens on bond and 
encouraging them to stay with friends and family (some citing data 
stating that 92 percent of asylum seekers have friends and family in 
the United States with whom they could shelter) in lieu of the proposed 
rule. Commenters also claimed that communicable diseases are often 
designated as public health threats because they require timely 
diagnosis, treatment, and contact tracing, but the rule does not 
include provisions for an appropriate public health response (such as 
testing, treatment, and contact tracing where appropriate). Other 
commenters argued the proposed rule is pretextual because UAC are 
currently being released by ICE only after they test negative for 
COVID-19, citing a recent news publication.
    Many commenters compared the proposed rule to other countries' 
responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that other countries have 
adopted immigration policies that protect against the pandemic without 
eliminating eligibility for asylum protection. Several commenters said 
these countries prove that asylum seekers can be safely processed 
during a pandemic by adopting enhanced health measures and quarantine 
requirements. Another commenter argued that the proposal cannot be 
justified by a lack of COVID-19 testing capacity in the United States.
    Many commenters stated that COVID-19 is not a reasonable basis for 
the proposed restrictions on asylum because the United States has one 
of the highest per capita infection and mortality rates for COVID-19, 
belying the proposed rule's claim to protect Americans from COVID-19. 
Commenters cited data showing that some countries, including Canada and 
Mexico, have fewer COVID-19 cases than the United States, arguing that 
the rule is unnecessary because United States poses the greater threat 
of spreading COVID-19. Several commenters said that the United States' 
COVID-19 high infection rate makes removing asylum seekers to other 
countries a significant public health threat to other countries and to 
asylum seekers themselves.
    Some commenters added that the diseases listed in the rule do not 
pose a risk to the general public or are not subject to U.S. quarantine 
laws. Other commenters argued that regulations to control the spread of 
disease should not apply to treatable conditions, especially the ones 
that do not pose a significant health risk to the public.
    A commenter claimed that the fact that the rule creates a judicial 
review process is evidence that the proposed rule uses public health as 
a pretext to deny asylum and withholding of removal. This commenter 
argued that because asylum seekers often remain in detention for longer 
than the prescribed 7 to 10 days for judicial review, aliens would 
remain at risk to contract or spread disease during this prolonged time 
period. The commenter concluded the proposed rule is an ineffective 
protection against the spread of disease.

[[Page 84168]]

    Another commenter stated that the proposed rule cannot be justified 
by the length of the adjudication process for asylum seekers. The 
organization asserted that the DOJ's own policies contribute to the 
immigration court backlog, including increasing the number of 
respondents in removal proceedings and changing policies for asylum 
seekers who are eligible for bond. The commenter concluded that the 
Departments should not use the consequences of their policies as the 
basis for banning the same asylum seekers from humanitarian relief.
    Response: The Departments disagree that the rule lacks an objective 
basis for applying the danger to the security of the United States bars 
to asylum and withholding of removal. This rule specifically provides 
that aliens whose entry poses a public health danger to the United 
States constitute a ``danger to the security of the United States'' and 
thus are ineligible for asylum or withholding of removal protections in 
the United States under INA 208 and 241, 8 U.S.C. 1158 and 1231, and 8 
CFR 208.16 and 1208.16. The bars apply to aliens whose entry poses a 
heightened risk of bringing into the United States or further spreading 
within our country serious contagious diseases, posing a danger to the 
security of the United States, during times of declared public health 
emergencies in the United States or because of conditions in their 
country of origin or point of embarkation to the United States. More 
specifically, the bars apply in certain delineated instances after a 
communicable disease has triggered an ongoing declaration of a public 
health emergency under Federal law. They also apply after the Secretary 
and the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, have jointly determined that the physical presence 
in the United States of aliens who are coming from areas of the world 
where a communicable disease of public health significance is or was 
prevalent or epidemic would cause a danger to the public health in the 
United States, and they consequently jointly designated the relevant 
areas and the period of time or circumstances under which it is 
necessary for the public health that aliens or classes of aliens who 
have come from those areas (and are still within the number of days 
equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period for the 
disease) be regarded as a danger to the security of the United States. 
The Departments note that many comments referred to factors or facts 
specific to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but that the rule is 
intended to address future pandemics and is not limited to current 
circumstances.
    These factors are consistent with the Attorney General's 
determination that ``danger to the security of the United States'' in 
the context of the bar to eligibility for withholding of removal 
encompasses considerations of defense, foreign relations, and the 
economy.\40\ In that decision, the Attorney General made clear that the 
``nontrivial degree of risk'' standard is satisfied where there is a 
reasonable belief that an alien poses a danger.\41\ In Yusupov v. 
Attorney General,\42\ the Third Circuit determined that the Attorney 
General's understanding that the bar to eligibility for statutory 
withholding of removal ``applied to any `nontrivial level of danger' or 
`nontrivial degree of risk' to U.S. security'' was a reasonable 
interpretation of the INA, and the court deferred to the Attorney 
General in upholding that statutory interpretation. The court explained 
that the eligibility bar ``does not easily accord acceptable 
gradations, as almost any `danger' to U.S. security is serious.'' \43\ 
It concluded that ``Congress did not announce a clear intent that the 
danger to U.S. security be `serious' because such a modifier likely 
would be redundant. . . . [I]t would be illogical for us to hold that 
Congress clearly intended for an alien to be non-removable if he poses 
only a moderate danger to national security.'' \44\ As discussed in 
detail in the NPRM and above, epidemics and pandemics, such as the 
COVID-19 crisis, pose a danger to the United States.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \40\ Matter of A-H-, 23 I&N Dec. at 788.
    \41\ Id.
    \42\ 518 F.3d 185 (3rd Cir. 2008) (as amended Mar. 27, 2008).
    \43\ Id. at 204.
    \44\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments disagree with commenters who stated that to be 
barred from eligibility asylum or withholding of removal under this 
rule, the Departments must prove that an alien poses a substantial and 
direct threat to the health and safety of the United States residents 
during a pandemic. As explained above, the Attorney General has 
clarified that the appropriate standard to apply is a ``nontrivial 
degree of risk.'' Pandemics such as COVID-19 can cause serious illness 
or death on a mass scale, and inflict serious, or even catastrophic, 
damage to the country's economy, and thus, to the security of the 
United States.
    Applying the danger to the security of the United States bars to 
eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal is necessary to 
reduce health and safety dangers to DHS personnel and to the public. On 
this, the Departments defer to the expertise of the CDC,\45\ which has 
determined that the introduction into Border Patrol stations and POEs 
of those aliens traveling from Canada and Mexico who are usually held 
for ``material lengths of time'' in the congregate areas of these 
facilities ``increases the serious danger of introducing COVID-19 to 
others in the facilities--including DHS personnel, U.S. citizens, U.S. 
nationals, and LPRs, and other aliens--and ultimately spreading COVID-
19 into the interior of the United States.'' \46\ The CDC based its 
assessment on the fact that:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \45\ Courts routinely recognize the CDC's public health 
expertise. See, e.g., Bragdon v. Abbott, 524 U.S. 624, 650 (1998) 
(``the views of public health authorities, such as the U.S. Public 
Health Service, CDC, and the National Institutes of Health, are of 
special weight and authority''); In re Approval of Judicial 
Emergency Declared in Eastern District of California, 956 F.3d 1175, 
1181 (9th Cir. 2020) (determining that it would not be safe to 
resume normal court operations until ``the CDC lifts its guidance 
regarding travel-associated risks and congregate settings and 
physical distancing''); and Hickox v. Christie, 205 F. Supp. 3d 579, 
598-99 (D.N.J. 2016) (relying on CDC recommendations to determine 
the legality of state-mandated quarantine in light of the risk of 
Ebola posed by persons entering the United States after treating 
Ebola patients).
    \46\ Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: 
Suspension of the Right To Introduce and Prohibition of Introduction 
of Persons Into United States From Designated Foreign Countries or 
Places for Public Health Purposes, 85 FR 56424, 56433 (final rule) 
(September 11, 2020).

[T]here are structural and operational impediments to quarantining 
and isolating [such] aliens in CBP facilities that neither HHS/CDC 
nor CBP can overcome, especially given the large number of [such] 
aliens that move through the congregate areas of the facilities. 
Border Patrol stations and POEs were designed for short-term holding 
of individuals in congregate settings [and were] not designed and 
equipped with sufficient interior space or partitions to quarantine 
potentially infected persons, or isolate infected persons. They also 
are not equipped to provide on-site care to infected persons who 
present with severe disease.\47\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \47\ Id.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CDC laid out the consequences of placing such aliens CBP facilities:

    The public health risks . . . include transmission and spread of 
COVID-19 to CBP personnel, U.S. citizens, lawful permanent 
residents, and other persons in the POEs and Border Patrol stations; 
further transmission and spread of COVID-19 in the interior; and the 
increased strain that further transmission and spread of COVID-19 
would put on the United States healthcare system and supply chain 
during the current public health emergency.\48\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \48\ Order Suspending the Right To Introduce Certain Persons 
From Countries Where a Quarantinable Communicable Disease Exists, 85 
FR 65806, 65807 (October 16, 2020) (notice).


[[Page 84169]]


---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments have also considered the array of alternatives 
commenters argued the Departments could implement to reduce the risk of 
aliens spreading communicable disease in the United States. The 
Departments disagree that the rule is unnecessary because of the 
availability of the alternatives posed, which include quarantines, 
social distancing, testing, education and trainings, medical treatment, 
use of personal protective equipment, and contact tracing.
    In the context of COVID-19, the CDC has already determined these 
alternatives to not be sufficient to adequately protect the public 
health. The CDC has determined that ``quarantine, isolation, and 
conditional release are still not workable options on the scale that 
would be needed for protecting U.S. public health from the introduction 
of COVID-19'' \49\ and that ``Federal Orders requiring the quarantine, 
isolation, or conditional release of persons arriving into the United 
States from foreign countries may be inadequate to protect public 
health from the serious danger of the introduction into the United 
States of a quarantinable communicable disease.'' \50\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \49\ Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: 
Suspension of the Right To Introduce and Prohibition of Introduction 
of Persons Into United States From Designated Foreign Countries or 
Places for Public Health Purposes, 85 FR at 56455.
    \50\ Id. at 56526.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As to quarantines, the CDC has concluded that:

    Federal quarantine and isolation . . . where HHS/CDC funds and 
operates residential facilities with 24-hour wrap-around services 
for persons arriving into the United States from a foreign country 
may be scalable and effective for hundreds of persons, but not 
thousands of them. Even then, Federal quarantine and isolation 
require substantial resources and are not sustainable for extended 
periods of time.\51\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \51\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A Federal quarantine and isolation of covered aliens would have 
likely required the procurement or construction and equipping of 
numerous permanent or temporary facilities across the Northern and 
Southern land borders, in close proximity to the POEs and Border 
Patrol stations. The facilities would have to accommodate a rotating 
population of covered aliens--including family units, single adults, 
and children with varying countries of origin, social customs, and 
criminal histories--for the duration of each covered alien's 
quarantine or isolation period. During that period, HHS/CDC and CBP 
would have to shelter, feed, and provide medical services to each 
covered alien onsite. The burden of undertaking such a joint public 
health and safety mission across thousands of miles of territory 
during a pandemic is impracticable. [T]o the knowledge of HHS/CDC, 
the largest Federal quarantine and isolation operation in modern 
U.S. history is the one that HHS/CDC and other agencies conducted in 
early 2020 [in response to COVID-19] for the approximately 3,200 
persons who disembarked from cruise ships in U.S. ports or were 
repatriated from Asia. That operation would have been dwarfed by an 
ongoing quarantine and isolation mission for covered aliens. . . . 
HHS/CDC and CBP could not have . . . . quarantined or isolated a 
daily average population of 3,292 covered aliens from March 21, 2020 
to the present. The relevant agencies simply lack the personnel and 
resources to operate such a large and complex Federal quarantine and 
isolation program, spread over thousands of miles of territory, and 
a period of many months, during a global pandemic. This is 
especially true when HHS/CDC and CBP must prioritize their finite 
resources for the benefit of the public health and safety, 
respectively, of the domestic population.\52\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \52\ Id. at 56433. The CDC noted that ``the Federal government 
no longer operates Public Health Service hospitals capable of acting 
as dedicated quarantine and isolation facilities able to house 
hundreds of people for multiple weeks. The securing of sites was 
challenging because when the agencies identified suitable 
facilities, local officials sometimes objected to the use of the 
facilities.'' Id. at 56430.

    The Departments also disagree with suggestions that increased 
testing of aliens could serve as an adequate alternative to the rule. 
In many cases, it is not possible to know whether an individual is 
infected at the time of processing or apprehension. Where testing is 
available, the time frame required to obtain test results may both be 
operational unfeasible and expose DHS officers, other aliens, and 
domestic communities to possible infection while results are pending. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The CDC concluded that:

    HHS/CDC considered whether it could avert the serious danger of 
the introduction of COVID-19 into CBP facilities through COVID-19 
testing. Specifically, HHS/CDC considered the asymptomatic 
transmission of COVID-19; the lack or limited availability of 
diagnostic testing for COVID-19; the time required to obtain 
diagnostic test results; the need to prioritize testing resources 
for the domestic population . . . . In any pandemic caused by a 
novel virus that spreads asymptomatically there will be a period 
when diagnostic testing is not widely available due to the time 
necessary to create, manufacture, distribute, administer, and 
receive the results of diagnostic tests. Even then, it may be 
appropriate to prioritize diagnostic testing for some populations 
over others, and diagnostic testing may produce at least some false 
negatives.\53\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \53\ Id. at 56433-34 n.70.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In congregate settings, travelers infected with a quarantinable 
communicable disease (whether asymptomatic or symptomatic) may 
spread the disease to other travelers or government personnel or 
private sector workers who may, in turn, spread disease to the 
domestic population. In such a scenario, the subsequent separation 
of the original, infected traveler would not mitigate the spread of 
disease through other individuals who interacted with the traveler 
in the congregate setting.\54\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \54\ Id. at 56426.

    The Departments disagree with commenters' suggestions that public 
health interests would be better served if the Departments eliminated 
detention pending proceedings. The INA requires that all aliens placed 
into expedited removal proceedings are subject to mandatory detention 
from the commencement of proceedings until their credible fear 
interviews, INA 235(b)(1)(B)(iii)(IV), subject to mandatory detention 
if found not to have a credible fear, id., and also subject to 
mandatory detention if found to have a credible fear ``for further 
consideration of their application for asylum'' in asylum-and-
withholding-only proceedings. Such aliens can be released by paroling 
them pursuant to section 212(d)(5) of the INA or on bond.\55\ As 
explained in the NPRM, once a non-detained alien is placed into such 
proceedings, it can be months or years before their cases are 
adjudicated, as immigration courts in EOIR have a backlog of more than 
1,000,000 pending cases, at least 517,000 of which include an asylum 
application. Of those released, many simply abscond without pursuing 
their asylum claims. There were 595,430 fugitive aliens at the end of 
fiscal year 2019.\56\ In 2003, DOJ's Inspector General issued a report 
that found that the former INS had successfully carried out removal 
orders with respect to only 13 percent of non-detained aliens who were 
subject to final removal orders--and was able to remove only three 
percent of non-detained aliens who had unsuccessfully

[[Page 84170]]

sought asylum.\57\ Recent initiatives to track family unit cases 
revealed that close to 82 percent of completed cases have resulted in 
an in absentia order of removal. It has been reported that EOIR's 
immigration courts have higher failure to appear rates than any other 
state or federal courts in the country.\58\ In fiscal year 2017, 44 
percent of never detained aliens, 41 percent of released aliens, and 49 
percent of unaccompanied alien minors (who have generally been released 
to sponsors, 8 U.S.C. 1232(c)(2)-(3)) who received removal orders 
received them in absentia for failing to appear.\59\ Even putting aside 
the issue of absconders, releasing aliens with a communicable disease 
from detention merely transfers the risk from DHS officers and other 
detainees to the general public.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \55\ In Matter of X-K-, 23 I&N Dec. 731, 736 (BIA 2005), the BIA 
concluded that arriving aliens at POEs found to have a credible fear 
and placed into section 240 proceedings were subject to mandatory 
detention, but those apprehended between POEs were eligible for 
bond. The Attorney General overruled Matter of X-K- in Matter of M-
S-, 27 I&N Dec. 509 (A.G. 2019), and determined that all aliens 
found to have a credible fear were subject to mandatory detention 
(and thus only releasable on parole). However, in Padilla v. ICE, 
953 F.3d 1134, 1143 (9th Cir. 2020) (petition for cert. filed Aug. 
24, 2020), the Ninth Circuit upheld a district court's grant of a 
nationwide preliminary injunction requiring, in part, that all 
aliens found to have a credible fear be eligible for a bond hearing 
and possible release (not through parole) on bond.
    \56\ Enforcement and Removal Operations, ICE, U.S. Immigration 
and Customs Enforcement Fiscal Year 2019 Enforcement and Removal 
Operations Report at 10. Alien fugitives are those who had failed to 
leave the United States based upon a final order of removal or who 
had failed to report to ICE after receiving notice to do so. Id. at 
10 n.9.
    \57\ Office of the Inspector General, Evaluation and Inspections 
Division, DOJ, The Immigration and Naturalization Service's Removal 
of Aliens Issued Final Orders (I-2003-004) at i, ii (2003).
    \58\ Mark Metcalf, U.S. Immigration Courts & Aliens Who 
Disappear Before Trial, 2019 Center for Immigration Studies at 1, 7-
8 n.1-2.
    \59\ Planning, Analysis & Statistics Division, EOIR, DOJ, 
Statistics Yearbook: Fiscal Year 2017, at 33 (figure 25).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments also reject the notion of stopping or reducing the 
enforcement of immigration laws as a means of reducing the strain on 
the nation's immigration system. The solution is not to ignore the rule 
of law but to find ways to promote compliance with the law and to 
increase the efficiency of the nation's immigration system.
    As to simply allowing aliens to reside with friends and family 
pending their asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings, this would 
reduce the transmission of disease within detention centers themselves. 
However, as the CDC concluded, such a practice would merely transfer 
the risk from DHS officers and other detainees to the general public 
and could exacerbate community spread within the interior. The CDC has 
also found that:

[I]t is not reasonable to assume that all . . . aliens [entering the 
United States illegally or without proper documents, who would need 
to be placed in congregate setting,] can or will comply with 
conditional release orders or safely self-quarantine or self-isolate 
after introduction into the country. That has not been HHS/CDC's 
experience with foreign nationals arriving in the United States on 
commercial flights, which require valid travel documents and 
clearance of customs. Even some foreign nationals who produce valid 
travel documents, fly internationally, and clear customs do not 
comply with self-quarantine or self-isolation protocols, or provide 
contact information to HHS/CDC for use in public health monitoring 
and contract tracing investigations. . . . Persons who are 
unprepared to comply with U.S. legal processes and lack 
transportation and a permanent U.S. residence would likely encounter 
difficulties complying with conditional release orders or self-
quarantine or self-isolation protocols. For such orders or protocols 
to be effective, persons who HHS/CDC temporarily apprehends and then 
conditionally releases with orders--or, alternatively, persons to 
whom HHS/CDC recommends self-quarantine or self-isolation--must be 
able to travel to suitable quarantine or isolation locations, and 
then quarantine or isolate for the time period prescribed or 
recommended by HHS/CDC. Many [aliens entering the United States 
illegally or without proper documents, who would need to be placed 
in congregate settings,] would have to overcome significant hurdles 
to meet those basic requirements. Moreover, implementation of 
conditional release orders for covered aliens would divert 
substantial HHS/CDC resources away from existing public health 
operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. . . .
    To implement conditional release orders for covered aliens, HHS/
CDC would have to open and operate new quarantine stations at 
numerous Border Patrol stations and POEs, surge technical support to 
CBP at the same locations, or do some combination of both. HHS/CDC 
would also have to monitor the health of tens of thousands of . . . 
aliens introduced into the United States, and alert public health 
departments about any health issues that need follow-up. HHS/CDC 
does not have resources and personnel available to execute those 
additional functions; HHS/CDC would have to reallocate personnel 
from existing quarantine operations, which would jeopardize the 
effectiveness of those operations, endanger public health, and 
impose additional costs on U.S. taxpayers.\60\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \60\ Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: 
Suspension of the Right To Introduce and Prohibition of Introduction 
of Persons Into United States From Designated Foreign Countries or 
Places for Public Health Purposes, 85 FR at 56452-53.

    Further, the Departments strongly disagree with comments that 
suggested the rule is pretextual, unnecessary, or ineffective because 
of the high rate of COVID-19 infections in the United States. Rather, 
the Departments defer to the expertise of the CDC, which has concluded 
that the introduction of additional cases, in addition to threatening 
the health and safety of DHS officers and other aliens, could 
exacerbate the spread of disease in the general public and further 
strain medical providers in many communities, presenting a serious 
threat to the security of the United States. As the CDC has stated, 
``even if persons or property in the United States are already infected 
or contaminated with a quarantinable communicable disease, the 
introduction of one or more additional persons capable of disease 
transmission in the same or different localities can nevertheless 
present a serious danger of the introduction of the disease into the 
United States'' \61\ and ``helping to slow the community transmission 
of COVID-19 and the number of new COVID-19 cases in the States in the 
U.S.-Mexico border region . . . helps protect the domestic population 
from COVID-19.'' \62\ For these reasons, the Departments see no need to 
provide additional empirical data, as requested by commenters, 
regarding the number of asylum seekers who have brought contagious 
diseases into the United States, the source of that data, the effects 
of those diseases on the general population, and how such a disease 
could spread in the process of deportation, including while an alien is 
in ICE custody. In addition, ``arbitrary and capricious'' review is 
``highly deferential, presuming the agency action to be valid.'' \63\ 
It is ``reasonable for the [agency] to rely on its experience'' to 
arrive at its conclusions, even if those conclusions are not supported 
with ``empirical research.'' \64\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \61\ Id. at 56454.
    \62\ Id. at 56456.
    \63\ Sacora v. Thomas, 628 F.3d 1059, 1068 (9th Cir. 2010) 
(citing Motor Vehicle Mfrs Ass'n v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co, 
463 U.S. 29, 43 (1983)).
    \64\ Id. at 1069.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments also disagree with commenters who argued that the 
fact that other countries have not curtailed asylum eligibility because 
of the COVID-19 pandemic proves that the NPRM is unnecessary or 
pretextual. The Departments are utilizing longstanding authority under 
domestic law to mitigate the danger of aliens bringing into the United 
States or exacerbating the spread within the United States of a serious 
contagious disease and thereby mitigate a threat to the security of the 
United States. It is outside the scope of this rule to evaluate the 
availability of legal tools to foreign governments regarding 
restricting asylum eligibility based on a threat to the national 
security. Further, the Departments disagree with comments that state 
that the risk of spreading a contagious disease or illness to the 
alien's home country or country of removal outweighs the Federal 
government's interest in preventing or mitigating potentially 
catastrophic harm to the health and security of the United States or is 
even a relevant consideration in interpreting the applicability of 
section 208(b)(2)(A)(iv) or section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the INA, which 
are solely focused on the danger to the security of the United States. 
As the CDC has concluded, the ``faster a[n alien who will be placed in 
a congregate setting] is returned . . . the lower the

[[Page 84171]]

risk the alien poses of introducing transmitting, or spreading COVID-19 
into POEs, Border Patrol stations, other congregate settings, and the 
interior [of the United States].'' \65\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \65\ Notice of Order Under Sections 362 and 365 of the Public 
Health Service Act Suspending Introduction of Certain Persons From 
Countries Where a Communicable Disease Exists, 85 FR 17060, 17067 
(Mar. 20, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Some commenters opposed the NPRM because they believed that the 
diseases referred to in the NPRM do not present a significant risk to 
the general public or are treatable. To the contrary, the diseases are 
serious by any measure. The term ``communicable disease of public 
health significance'' includes any of the following diseases:

    (1) Communicable diseases as listed in a Presidential Executive 
Order, as provided under Section 361(b) of the Public Health Service 
Act. . . .\66\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \66\ The current list of quarantinable communicable diseases is 
available at http://www.cdc.gov and http://www.archives.gov/federal-register.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (2) Communicable diseases that may pose a public health 
emergency of international concern if it meets one or more of the 
factors listed in [42 CFR] Sec.  34.3(d) and for which the Director 
has determined a threat exists for importation into the United 
States, and such disease may potentially affect the health of the 
American public. . . .
    (i) Any of the communicable diseases for which a single case 
requires notification to the World Health Organization (WHO) as an 
event that may constitute a public health emergency of international 
concern, or
    (ii) Any other communicable disease the occurrence of which 
requires notification to the WHO as an event that may constitute a 
public health emergency of international concern. . . .
    (3) Gonorrhea.
    (4) Hansen's disease, infectious.
    (5) Syphilis, infectious.
    (6) Tuberculosis, active.\67\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \67\ 42 CFR 34.2(b).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under section 1 of Executive Order 13295, as amended:

    Based upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services . . ., in consultation with the Surgeon General . . . 
the following communicable diseases are hereby specified pursuant to 
section 361(b) of the [PHSA]:
    (a) Cholera; Diphtheria; infectious Tuberculosis; Plague; 
Smallpox; Yellow Fever; and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (Lassa, 
Marburg, Ebola, Crimean-Congo, South American, and others not yet 
isolated or named).
    (b) Severe acute respiratory syndromes, which are diseases 
[other than influenza] that are associated with . . . pneumonia or 
other respiratory illness, are capable of being transmitted from 
person to person, and that either are causing, or have the potential 
to cause, a pandemic, or, upon infection, are highly likely to cause 
mortality or serious morbidity if not properly controlled. . . .

    In addition, the bars will only apply (1) to communicable diseases 
that have triggered an ongoing declaration of a public health emergency 
under Federal law, and (2) where the Secretary and the Attorney General 
have, in consultation with HHS, jointly determined that, because a 
communicable disease of public health significance (in accordance with 
HHS regulations) is prevalent or epidemic in an area of the world, the 
physical presence in the United States of an alien or a class of aliens 
who have come from such area during a period in which the disease is or 
was prevalent or epidemic there would cause a danger to the public 
health in the United States, and have consequently designate the place, 
the period of time, or circumstances under which they deem it necessary 
for the public health that such alien or class of aliens be regarded as 
a danger to the security of the United States. The Departments believe 
this framework provides the Departments sufficient flexibility to apply 
the bars in cases of potential future pandemics or public health crises 
while ensuring that the bars are only applied in situations that 
present a public health crisis sufficient to threaten the security of 
the United States.
    In addition, the Departments disagree that the availability of 
treatment is an adequate marker to determine whether a contagious 
disease poses a threat to the security of the United States such that 
the bar to asylum and withholding of removal should apply. Treatment 
may only, and to a partial extent at that, ameliorate symptoms without 
curing a disease, and may be prohibitively expensive or resource-
intensive.
    The Departments note that as to the ``judicial review protocol,'' 
it is prescribed by statute and is not something the Departments 
created through regulation. Section 235(b) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 
1225(b), provides that:

    The Attorney General shall provide by regulation and upon the 
alien's request for prompt review by an immigration judge of a 
determination . . . that the alien does not have a credible fear of 
persecution. Such review shall include an opportunity for the alien 
to be heard and questioned by the immigration judge, either in 
person or by telephonic or video connection. Review shall be 
concluded as expeditiously as possible, to the maximum extent 
practicable within 24 hours, but in no case later than 7 days after 
the date of the determination . . . .

    The Departments disagree with comments suggesting that the rule's 
rationale is flawed because the United States has been allowing certain 
classes of individuals to travel to the United States and because the 
rule does not apply to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and 
people engaged in trade and education. Of course, only aliens may 
receive asylum and withholding of removal. Aliens seeking asylum or 
withholding of removal, including aliens with a lawful immigration 
status, are subject to the bar, which the Departments have put in place 
to protect the United States from those who are determined to be a 
danger to the Nation's security.\68\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \68\ When evaluating aliens' eligibility for asylum and 
withholding of removal, this rule does not apply the public health 
bars to those aliens who file such an application upon return from 
Canada pursuant to the U.S.-Canada safe third country agreement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Finally, the Departments disagree that protecting the security of 
the United States is inconsistent with the administration's messaging 
regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and decline to further respond on the 
basis that such messaging is outside the scope of this rule.

E. Proposed Changes to the Rule

1. Clarifying Application of ``Danger to the Security of the United 
States'' Bars to Eligibility for Asylum and Withholding of Removal
Categorical Nature of the Bars
    Comment: One commenter stated that denying asylum seekers 
``categorically'' would contravene the intent of U.S. immigration law 
and especially the Refugee Act. Relying on the plain language of the 
statute, a legal services provider argued that the proposal exceeds its 
statutory authority by potentially barring, without time limitation, 
thousands of individuals on a class-wide basis who pose no risk to the 
United States. Similarly, a group of commenters cited Grace v. 
Whitaker,\69\ and an advocacy group provided citations to additional 
cases, in arguing that asylum determinations must be made on an 
individualized basis. Other commenters argued that no individualized 
determination would be possible under the NPRM as it instructs 
adjudicators that they ``may consider'' symptoms and travel history for 
a determination as to whether an alien is subject to the danger to the 
security of the United States bars and simultaneously instructs 
adjudicators that the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney 
General have already ``deem[ed]'' entire classes of individuals to be 
regarded as a danger to the security of the United States. More 
specifically, commenters argued that:

[[Page 84172]]

``[p]roposed 8 CFR 208.13(c)(10) and 1208.13(c)(10) do not provide 
clear guidance as to whether adjudicators are required to apply an 
individualized or a categorical bar, and in some circumstances appears 
to entirely remove discretion from adjudicators and require a blanket 
determination that a person be subject to the bar, without an 
individualized determination.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \69\ 344 F. Supp.3d 96 (D.D.C. 2018), aff'd in part and vacated 
in part by Grace v. Barr, 965 F.3d 883 (D.C. Cir. 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Response: The commenters raised a valid concern that the NPRM did 
not provide sufficiently clear guidance as to whether adjudicators are 
required to apply the proposed bars in an individualized or categorical 
fashion. Of course, all statutory bars to eligibility, including the 
danger to the security of the United States bars, for asylum and 
withholding of removal are ``categorical,'' in that any alien to whom 
they apply is ineligible for asylum.'' As to asylum, ``[p]aragaph (1) 
[describing which aliens may be granted asylum] shall not apply to an 
alien if the [Secretary or the] Attorney General determines that . . . 
.'' INA 208(b)(2)(A), 8 U.S.C. 208(b)(2)(A) (emphasis added). As to 
withholding of removal, ``[s]ubparagraph (A) [describing which aliens 
may not be removed to a country where their life or freedom would be 
threatened] does not apply to an alien . . . if the [Secretary or the] 
Attorney General decides that . . . .'' INA 241(b)(3)(B), 8 
U.S.C.(b)(3)(B) (emphasis added). The parameters under which an alien 
is considered ineligible for asylum and withholding of removal in order 
to protect law enforcement officers and the public during a public 
health crisis are ones that should be decided by the Secretary and the 
Attorney General, taking into consideration the advice of governmental 
experts, not individual officials or adjudicators on an ad hoc basis. 
The role of individual officials and adjudicators should be to 
determine whether aliens in fact meet the criteria for ineligibility 
that have been set forth to protect our country.
    Therefore, the final rule clarifies that the bars established by 
the rule (implementing the Departments' understanding of the danger to 
the security of the United States bars) are ``categorical'' in the 
following manner. First, if a communicable disease has triggered an 
ongoing declaration of a public health emergency under Federal law, 
such as under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 
247d, or section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 
360bbb-3, then an alien is ineligible for asylum and withholding of 
removal (on the basis of there being reasonable grounds for regarding 
the alien as a danger to the security of the United States) if the 
alien either exhibits symptoms indicating that he or she is afflicted 
with the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate, or has come into contact with the disease, per 
guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney General, as 
appropriate.
    Second, if, regarding a communicable disease of public health 
significance as defined at 42 CFR 34.2(b), the Secretary and the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, have jointly
    <bullet> Determined that the physical presence in the United States 
of aliens who are coming from a country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or who have embarked at a place or 
places where such disease is prevalent or epidemic (or had come from 
that country or countries (or one or more subdivisions or regions 
thereof), or had embarked at that place or places, during a period in 
which the disease was prevalent or epidemic there), would cause a 
danger to the public health in the United States, and
    <bullet> Designated the foreign country or countries (or one or 
more subdivisions or regions thereof), or place or places, and the 
period of time or circumstances under which they jointly deem it 
necessary for the public health that aliens or classes of aliens 
described in the first bullet point who were present in an impacted 
region within the number of days equivalent to the longest known 
incubation and contagion period for the disease be regarded as a danger 
to the security of the United States, including any relevant exceptions 
as appropriate,
    Then, an alien or class of aliens are ineligible for asylum and 
withholding of removal (on the basis of there being reasonable grounds 
for regarding the alien or class of aliens as a danger to the security 
of the United States) if the alien or class of aliens are described in 
the first bullet point and are regarded as a danger to the security of 
the United States as provided in the second bullet point.
    While the discretionary/categorical distinction was not discussed 
in the NPRM, as the D.C. Circuit ruled in Nat'l Mining Ass'n v. Mine 
Safety and Health Admin:

    An agency's final rules are frequently different from the ones 
it published as proposals. The reason is obvious. Agencies often 
``adjust or abandon their proposals in light of public comments or 
internal agency reconsideration.'' . . . Whether in such instances 
the agency should have issued additional notice and received 
additional comment on the revised proposal ``depends, according to 
our precedent, on whether the final rule is a `logical outgrowth' of 
the proposed rule.'' . . . While we often apply the doctrine simply 
by comparing the final rule to the one proposed, we have also taken 
into account the comments, statements and proposals made during the 
notice-and-comment period. . . . In South Terminal Corp. v. EPA, the 
case that gave birth to the ``logical outgrowth'' formulation, the 
court did the same. 504 F.2d 646, 659 (1st Cir. 1974). The court 
held that the final rule was ``a logical outgrowth''-not simply of 
the proposed rule--but ``of the hearing and related procedures'' 
during the notice and comment period.\70\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \70\ 512 F.3d 696, 699 (D.C. Cir. 2008) (citations omitted).

    As the Circuit had realized earlier in Int'l Harvester Co. v. 
Ruckelshaus,\71\ ``[a] contrary rule would lead to the absurdity that 
in rule-making under the [Administrative Procedure Act] the agency can 
learn from the comments on its proposals only at the peril of starting 
a new procedural round of commentary.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \71\ 478 F.2d 615, 632 n.51 (D.C. Cir. 1973).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As illustrated by the thoughtful comments the Departments received 
highlighting the need to clarify whether the NPRM was discretionary or 
categorical, the clarification in the final rule meets any ``logical 
outgrowth'' requirements under the APA.
Applicability to Aliens Who Are Applying for Asylum or Withholding of 
Removal in the United States Upon Return From Canada (Pursuant to the 
Agreement Between the Government of the United States and the 
Government of Canada for Cooperation in the Examination of Refugee 
Status Claims From Nationals of Third Countries)
    Comment: Several commenters cited litigation in Canada surrounding 
the ``safe third country'' agreement between the United States and 
Canada and noted that a Canadian federal court found the agreement to 
be unconstitutional. One commenter stated that if published, this final 
rule would further damage the reputation of the United States as a 
leader in providing humanitarian protection.
    Response: The Departments note that maintenance of the United 
States' reputation as a leader in providing humanitarian protection 
must not eclipse the importance of maintaining a strong and effective 
safe third country agreement with our Canadian partners. Accordingly, 
this rule provides for an exemption for those aliens who apply for 
asylum or withholding of removal upon return from Canada to the United 
States pursuant to the U.S.-Canada safe third country agreement.

[[Page 84173]]

Level of Danger Required To Invoke the Danger to Security Bars to 
Asylum and Withholding of Removal
    Comment: Several commenters argued, citing Yusupov v. Att'y Gen. of 
U.S., that the danger to the security of the United States bars to 
eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal may only be applied 
to an applicant who poses an ``actual'' threat rather than a possible 
or potential threat or to one who ``may'' pose a danger. The commenters 
contend that the rule is impermissibly broad because it applies the 
bars to those who do not actually carry a communicable disease, 
contrary to the actual threat standard.
    One commenter also wrote that Yusupov requires that security bars 
apply only in a narrow set of circumstances and that, given the 
widespread nature of the COVID-19 pandemic even within the United 
States, the proposal contravenes this requirement. The commenter 
further asked that the Departments demonstrate how border enforcement 
personnel face a higher risk from asylum seekers than from others those 
officials regularly encounter in their own communities and how finding 
an applicant ineligible for asylum would reduce the risk to enforcement 
personnel. Another legal services provider wrote that the Departments' 
focus on the probable cause standard is a ``distraction'' and cannot 
allow the Departments to rely on a potential risk rather than an actual 
one as the grounds for a security bar. A professional association 
expressed worry that the proposed rule could apply an asylum bar to an 
applicant on the basis of a probable cause standard and using evidence 
that does not meet the standard of admissibility for court proceedings.
    Additionally, commenters argued that the mere potential exposure of 
an asylum seeker to a disease or the untrained opinion of a non-expert 
adjudicator of a person's symptoms could not provide a reasonable basis 
for barring the applicant from eligibility for asylum.
    Another commenter added that the threat posed by an individual 
asylum applicant's health falls below the ``non-trivial'' standard set 
forth in Matter of A-H-,\72\ arguing that the threat of migrants must 
be viewed individually.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \72\ Matter of A-H-, 23 I&N Dec. 774, 788 (A.G. 2005).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Response: The Departments fully acknowledge that an alien must 
actually pose the requisite level of danger, noting the Ninth Circuit's 
conclusion that ``[t]he bottom line in Yusupov, which we adopt, is that 
. . . the alien must `actually pose a danger' to United States security 
. . . .'' \73\ However, as the Departments stated in the NPRM, it also 
must be recognized that the danger posed by aliens during a pandemic is 
unique. In many cases it will not be possible to know whether any 
particular individual is infected at the time of apprehension or 
application. As the CDC has explained, depending on the disease at 
issue, many individuals who are actually infected may be asymptomatic, 
reliable testing may not be available, and, even where available, the 
time frame required to obtain test results may both be operationally 
unfeasible and expose DHS officers, other aliens, and domestic 
communities to possible infection while results are pending. In 
conclusion, an alien who arrives from a location in which the spread of 
a communicable disease already poses a serious danger and who will need 
to be placed in a congregate setting represents on their own a danger 
to the security of the United States.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \73\ Malkandi v. Holder, 576 F.3d 906, 914 (9th Cir. 2009).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Of course, this rule cannot eliminate all risk that border 
enforcement personnel may face in their communities related to a 
communicable disease of public health significance. It is not designed 
to do so, nor could it. The final rule is designed to ameliorate the 
specific risk identified by the CDC of their being placed in close 
personal contact in congregate settings with aliens at a heightened 
risk of infection.
    Finally, the Departments reject that reliance on the probable cause 
standard is a ``distraction.'' It is the legal standard set forth in 
binding precedent and is necessary to understand the ``reasonable 
grounds'' component of the danger to the security of the United States 
bars to eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal. In Matter of 
A-H-, the Attorney General determined that ``reasonable'' in the 
context of the danger to the security of the United States bar to 
withholding of removal ``implied the use of a `reasonable person' 
standard'' that was ``substantially less stringent than preponderance 
of the evidence,'' and instead akin to ``probable cause.'' \74\ The 
standard ``is satisfied if there is information that would permit a 
reasonable person to believe that the alien may pose a danger to the 
national security.'' \75\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \74\ 23 I&N Dec. at 788-89.
    \75\ Id. at 789 (citation omitted).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Accordingly, the Departments are not making changes to the final 
rule in response to these comments.
Public Health Concerns as a Basis for Finding ``Danger to the Security 
of the United States'' or Otherwise Bar Eligibility for Asylum
    Comment: Several commenters argued that public health concerns 
should not be a basis for denying asylum or for finding reasonable 
grounds for regarding an applicant to be a danger to the security of 
the United States. Some commenters argued that the rule exceeds the 
Departments' authority, as only Congress can expand upon the ``danger 
to security'' bar or define the bounds of asylum eligibility. 
Commenters contended that section 208(b)(2)(C) of the INA does not give 
the Departments authority to add new bars to asylum eligibility and 
that the INA unambiguously defines ``dangers to the security of the 
United States'' without reference to public health and thus that the 
NPRM is an unlawful attempt to expand the statute.
    Commenters also argued that section 208 of the INA intentionally 
omits public health concerns as a basis of denial (such as by not 
incorporating the INA's health-related inadmissibility grounds, INA 
212(a)(1), 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(1), as a basis for finding an alien 
ineligible for asylum) and that when Congress enacted the Illegal 
Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 
(``IIRIRA'') it could have defined the danger to the security of the 
United States bar, but chose not to do so. One commenter cited 
dictionary definitions of ``reasonable'', ``danger'', and ``security'' 
to argue that the proposed rule contravenes the INA. Another argued 
that the NPRM is unjust and inconsistent with the character of the INA 
in that it applied a bar based on a factor outside of an asylum 
seeker's control.
    Another commenter argued that the ``expresio unis'' canon of 
construction, whereby when multiple items of a category are expressly 
mentioned, others in the same class are excluded, leads to the 
conclusion that because the three statutory bars to applying for 
asylum, INA 208(a)(2), do not include public health concerns, such 
concerns should not bar an alien from being able to apply for asylum. 
Another commenter argued more generally that the NPRM violates section 
208(a)(1) of the INA, which guarantees the right of every alien 
physically present in the United States to apply for asylum, by denying 
asylum seekers who arrive in the United States the right to seek 
refuge.
    Other commenters argued that the danger to the security of the 
United

[[Page 84174]]

States bars should only be read to apply to criminal and/or terrorist-
related concerns, one arguing that because other mandatory bars to 
asylum found in INA 208(b)(2)(A) include references to crimes, the term 
danger to the security of the United States must be read narrowly to 
involve considerations of criminal threats or intentional harm to 
others rather than for any type of harm. The commenter cited the 
``ejusdem generis'' canon of construction whereby when ``a more general 
term follows more specific terms in a list, the general term is usually 
understood to embrace only objects similar in nature to those objects 
enumerated by the preceding specific words.'' Several commenters argued 
that the bars should be limited to terrorism-related threats and that 
the proposed rule misinterprets Matter of A-H-, reasoning that 
``economic interests'' should be understood as economic interests that 
could be targeted by terrorists, not those affected by public health 
concerns. Another group of commenters stated that nothing in the INA 
permits a definition of ``economic interests'' which includes public 
health concerns.
    Response: The Departments disagree with comments stating that 
public health concerns cannot constitute reasonable grounds for 
regarding or believing an alien as a danger to the security of the 
United States. As then-Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael 
Chertoff, stated in 2006, ``[a] severe pandemic . . . may affect the 
lives of millions of Americans, cause significant numbers of illnesses 
and fatalities, and substantially disrupt our economic and social 
stability.'' \76\ In addition, components of the U.S. military have 
indicated that the global spread of pandemics can impact military 
readiness, thus posing a direct threat to U.S. national security.\77\ 
For example, the risk of further spread of COVID-19 this year has led 
to the cancellation or reduction of various large-scale military 
exercises and a 60-day stop-movement order.\78\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \76\ DHS, Pandemic Influenza: Preparedness, Response, and 
Recovery: Guide for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources, 
Introduction at 1 (2006) (Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland 
Security), https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/cikrpandemicinfluenzaguide.pdf.
    \77\ Diane DiEuliis & Laura Junor, Ready or Not: Regaining 
Military Readiness During COVID19, Strategic Insights, U.S. Army 
Europe (Apr. 10, 2020), https://www.eur.army.mil/COVID-19/COVID19Archive/Article/2145444/ready-or-not-regaining-military-readiness-during-covid19/ (discussing the spread within the military 
of twentieth-century pandemics and consequences of the spread this 
year of COVID-19).
    \78\ See id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments reject the argument that because the statutory bars 
to eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal do not 
specifically reference the health-related inadmissibility grounds found 
at section 212(a)(1)(A) of the INA, that no public health concerns can 
be considered in assessing an applicant's potential danger to the 
security of the United States. This rule was never designed to 
incorporate all these health-related grounds--which can make an alien 
inadmissible as a result of the lack of immunization, physical or 
mental disorders that may pose or have posed a threat to the property, 
safety, or welfare of the alien or others, and drug abuse and 
addiction--into the bars to eligibility for asylum and withholding. It 
is only in limited circumstances involving declared Federal public 
health emergencies or joint determinations by the Secretary of Homeland 
Security and Attorney General that aliens coming from areas of the 
world where a communicable disease of public health significance is 
prevalent or epidemic would constitute a danger to public health and 
that an asylum or withholding applicant would be considered to pose a 
danger to the security of the United States. Similarly, the Departments 
reject commenters' arguments that because the asylum bars do not 
specifically mention public health concerns, that the bar regarding 
danger to the security of the United States should be interpreted to 
exclude such concerns.
    Additionally, the rule does not contravene section 208(a)(1) of the 
INA since it does not create a bar to applying for asylum. Rather, it 
clarifies the Departments' understanding of a longstanding statutory 
bar to asylum eligibility. Finally, the bars to applying for asylum at 
section 208(a)(2) and the bars to asylum eligibility at section 
208(b)(2) in fact do include factors that are outside an applicant's 
control or ``categorical,'' such as the existence of a safe third 
country agreement. INA 208(a)(2)(A).
    The Departments are not making changes to the final rule in 
response to these comments.
Guidance and Training for Officers Determining Application of the Bars
2. Application of the Danger of the Security of the United States Bars 
in Credible Fear Screenings in the Expedited Removal Process
    Comment: Several commenters expressed concern about applying the 
danger to the security of the United States bars at the credible fear 
stage, where previously negative credible fear determinations could not 
be based on aliens being subject to such bars. Commenters argued that 
this would deny individuals with a well-founded fear of persecution the 
opportunity to establish their eligibility for humanitarian protection, 
that it would eliminate all exercise of judgement or discretion, and 
make it nearly impossible to disprove the application of the bars, 
which deprives asylum seekers of the opportunity to seek asylum in 
court before an immigration judge.
    Other commenters argued that the proposed rule is ultra vires by 
creating an ``infectious disease'' bar to asylum and withholding of 
removal that would disqualify applicants at the credible fear stage, 
when such individuals (even if infected with COVID-19 at the time of 
arrival) would be unlikely to remain infectious by the time of 
adjudication of their applications for asylum or withholding of 
removal. They argued that the NPRM would not protect border security 
personnel from a communicable disease or prevent spread in border 
facilities or the community, because the period when an applicant is 
most likely to spread a communicable disease is during the credible 
fear process (including the credible fear interview and review by an 
immigration judge) that can take from seven to ten days. The commenters 
stated that this timeline was not sufficiently addressed in the 
proposed rule and expressed concern that CBP and ICE would continue 
holding individuals in ``congregate settings'' during the credible fear 
process, a practice that would put many others at risk prior to the 
application of the NPRM's changes to the credible fear process. The 
commenters also questioned why DHS could not test each asylum seeker 
upon apprehension and provide results within the time required for a 
credible fear interview and review by an immigration judge.
    An individual commenter asked several questions about the 
procedural steps that would be involved should asylum seekers stop 
exhibiting the perceived symptoms that led to a determination that they 
may have COVID-19. Specifically, the commenter asks whether an 
immigration judge could overturn a negative credible fear finding and 
whether the BIA could overturn a denial of asylum when the applicant 
has ceased exhibiting the symptoms that were the basis of the 
determination.
    Another commenter argued that the agencies' assertion that the 
NPRM's impact on time spent making and reviewing screening decisions 
``would be minimal'' was incorrect because

[[Page 84175]]

adding the consideration of a danger to the security of the United 
States bars in the screening process would ``exponentially increase the 
length and complexity of the adjudication.'' Another legal services 
provider expressed concern that the proposal's anticipation of 
``minimal'' review time indicates the review will be ``cursory and not 
appropriately detailed.''
    Response: The rule does not create an ``infectious'' or 
``communicable'' disease bar to asylum and withholding of removal. 
Rather, the rule clarifies the Departments' understanding of the 
existing statutory bars regarding aliens who are reasonably regarded to 
be dangers to the security of the United States.
    The Departments acknowledge that an applicant may be most likely to 
spread a communicable disease upon and soon after arrival, which 
coincides with the period in which an alien placed into expedited 
removal proceedings would be going through credible fear screening. 
However, this is not always true. As the CDC has stated, there is an 
``ever-present risk that future pandemics may present new or different 
challenges . . . . A new virus could have a longer incubation period 
than . . . the virus that causes COVID-19 . . . or cause a disease that 
takes longer to run its course.'' \79\ By way of example, the 
incubation period for tuberculosis can be years in length, and that of 
hepatitis B can be up to 180 days.\80\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \79\ Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: 
Suspension of the Right To Introduce and Prohibition of Introduction 
of Persons Into United States From Designated Foreign Countries or 
Places for Public Health Purposes, 85 FR at 56527.
    \80\ Illinois Department of Public Health, available at https://dph.illinois.gov/sites.default/files/publications/commchartschool-032817.pdg (last visited on October 15, 2020); Center for Acute 
Disease Epidemiology, Iowa Department of Public Health, The 
Epidemiology of Common Communicable Diseases, available at https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/79/Documents/Epi%20of%20Common%20Communicable%20Diseases%20June%202013%20-%20FINAL.pdf (last visited on October 15, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments did consider limiting the scope of this rule, such 
as by only applying the bars to those aliens who are symptomatic. But 
as the CDC has determined in the context of COVID-19:

    Identifying those infected with COVID-19 can be difficult, as 
asymptomatic cases are currently believed to represent roughly 40% 
of all COVID-19 infections. The infectiousness of asymptomatic 
individuals is believed to be about 75% of the infectiousness of 
symptomatic individuals. HHS/CDC's current best estimate is that 
between 40 to 50% of infections are transmitted prior to symptom 
onset (pre-symptomatic transmission).\81\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \81\ Control of Communicable Diseases; Foreign Quarantine: 
Suspension of the Right To Introduce and Prohibition of Introduction 
of Persons Into United States From Designated Foreign Countries or 
Places for Public Health Purposes, 85 FR at 56429.

    The Departments note that the final rule is not, as the NPRM 
proposed, modifying the regulatory framework to apply the danger to the 
security of the United States bars at the credible fear stage. In the 
interim between the NPRM and the final rule, the Global Asylum Final 
Rule did so for all of the bars to eligibility for asylum and 
withholding of removal. In any event, the Departments do not intend for 
asylum officer and immigration judge assessments of the applicability 
of the security bars in the credible fear process to be ``cursory and 
not appropriately detailed.'' As stated in the proposed rule, it is 
anticipated that asylum officers and immigration judges will need to 
spend additional time during the credible fear process to determine 
whether an alien is ineligible for asylum or withholding of removal 
based on the security bars. However, the Departments believe that the 
additional time spent making such determinations will be minimal 
because the issues to be explored by the asylum officer and the 
immigration judge will usually be fairly straightforward and not 
involve complex analysis, e.g., the place and time of an alien's 
embarkation.
    The Departments are not making changes to the final rule in 
response to these comments.
Higher Standard for Credible Fear Determinations
    Comment: Multiple commenters argued that the rule impermissibly 
raises the standard for demonstrating a credible fear and imposes the 
burden onto the asylum seeker to ``disprove the assumption that they 
are a danger to security due to public health.'' The commenters state 
that asylum seekers would be ill equipped to meet the proposed higher 
standards in the credible fear screening process due to trauma, lack of 
evidence or key information when they arrive at the border, lack of 
legal representation, and lack of English proficiency, all of which 
renders them incapable of contributing meaningfully to their own 
defense. Another commenter added that the rule denies asylum seekers 
the opportunity to receive meaningful administrative or judicial 
review. Another noted that asylum seekers would have difficulty proving 
they do not have a disease at this stage in the process because they 
would not have access to physicians, medical screenings, or tests while 
in detention. Another commenter argued that the burden of proof 
concerning credible fear and application of the national security bars 
should fall to the government, given the danger, including death, that 
some asylum seekers may face upon return to their home country.
    Response: The rule does not, and could not, alter the standard for 
demonstrating a credible fear of persecution, which is set by statute 
as a ``significant possibility, taking into account the credibility of 
the statements made by the alien in support of the alien's claim and 
such other facts as are known to the officer, that the alien could 
establish eligibility for asylum . . . .'' INA 235(b)(1)(B)(v), 8 
U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)(B)(v). Asylum officers and immigration judges will 
continue to assess credible fear for purposes of potential eligibility 
for asylum by determining whether there is a significant possibility 
that the alien can establish eligibility for asylum--which of necessity 
requires the alien to demonstrate a significant possibility of each 
element of asylum eligibility. Thus, to meet the credible fear 
standard, the alien need only establish a significant possibility that 
the danger to the security of the United States bar does not apply and 
a significant possibility of meeting the other relevant eligibility 
criteria.
    The Departments do not agree that it is appropriate to place the 
burden on the government concerning the application of the danger to 
the security of the United States bars, or that they could even do so 
consistent with the INA. Section 235(b)(1)(B)(iii)(II) of the INA, 
which requires an asylum officer to prepare a written record of a 
negative credible fear determination analyzing why ``the alien has not 
established a credible fear of persecution,'' states that it is the 
alien's responsibility to establish a credible fear of persecution. 
While the burden lies with the alien, the officer is charged with 
eliciting (in a non-adversarial manner) relevant information that bears 
on whether the alien has a credible fear of persecution, including 
whether there is a significant possibility that the danger to the 
security of the United States bars does or does not apply. 8 CFR 
208.30(d). The Departments point out that testimony alone, if otherwise 
credible, can be sufficient to meet the alien's burden of proof.\82\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \82\ INA 208(b)(1)(B)(ii) and 241(b)(3)(C), 8 U.S.C. 
1158(b)(1)(B)(ii) and 1231(b)(3)(C); 8 CFR 208.13(a), 208.16, and 
208.16(c)(2).

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[[Page 84176]]

    The Departments are not making changes to the final rule in 
response to these comments.
Role of Asylum Officers and Border Agents
    Comment: Several commenters raised concerns that the rule, by 
placing this inquiry in the credible fear stage of the removal process, 
increases the decision-making authority of ``low-level immigration 
officials,'' including border agents and asylum officers, to make 
complex national security determinations without the proper expertise 
and without the ``significant pre-hearing preparations'' that would 
accompany removal proceedings before an immigration judge. Several 
commenters posed questions about what kind of guidance, training, or 
other measures would be implemented to enable CBP officers, asylum 
officers, and immigration judges to determine whether an asylum seeker 
is exhibiting symptoms consistent with a contagious disease. Others 
asked whether such trainings would address implicit and explicit bias 
in making such determinations, and how such determinations would be 
tracked and measured. Another commenter argued that requiring asylum 
officers to make determinations about withholding of removal under the 
CAT regulations violates 8 CFR 208.16(a), which states that asylum 
officers ``shall not'' decide withholding claims.
    Response: As noted, the final rule is not, as the NPRM proposed, 
modifying the regulatory framework to apply the danger to the security 
of the United States bars at the credible fear stage because, in the 
interim between the NPRM and the final rule, the Global Asylum Final 
Rule did so for all of the bars to eligibility for asylum and 
withholding of removal. In any event, the application of asylum 
eligibility bars at the credible fear stage has no bearing on how 
asylum officers or immigration judges assess alleged trauma during the 
screening process. Adjudicators in both Departments are trained to make 
these assessments and are well versed in assessing the credibility of 
applicants, including accounting for trauma as relevant. Regarding 
commenters' concerns about requiring asylum officers to determine 
whether the bars apply during the credible fear interview, the 
Departments note that asylum officers are well trained in asylum law 
and are more than capable of determining whether statutory bars apply, 
especially in the credible fear-screening context. An asylum officer 
must have ``had professional training in country conditions, asylum 
law, and interview techniques comparable to that provided to full-time 
adjudicators of applications [for asylum],'' and ``is supervised by an 
officer who [has had similar training] and has had substantial 
experience adjudicating asylum applications.'' INA 235(b)(1)(E), 8 
U.S.C. 1235(b)(1)(E)); 8 CFR 208.1(b). DHS asylum officers regularly 
make determinations on a variety of issues surrounding eligibility in a 
manner consistent with their extensive and multi-faceted training and 
country conditions and other resources at their disposal. Asylum 
officers receive extensive training in all the requirements for asylum 
eligibility, international human rights law, non-adversarial 
interviewing techniques, and other national and international refugee 
laws and principles. 8 CFR 208.1(b). This training includes specific 
lessons on cross-cultural communication; interviewing survivors of 
torture; and working with an interpreter, all of which touch on 
explicit and implicit bias. With the publication of this rule, asylum 
officers will receive additional training on the standards and 
requirements set forth in this rule. The Departments also note that 
even before promulgation of the Global Asylum Final Rule, asylum 
officers already elicited testimony related to mandatory bars to asylum 
and/or withholding of removal in the credible fear context--they simply 
did not apply them under then-current regulations.\83\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \83\ See Government Accountability Office, Actions Needed to 
Strengthen USCIS's Oversight and Data Quality of Credible and 
Reasonable Fear Screenings (Feb. 2020) at 10 (``In screening non-
citizens for credible or reasonable fear. . . [a] USCIS asylum 
officer is to determine if the individual has any bars to asylum or 
withholding of removal that will be pertinent if the individual is 
referred to immigration court for full removal proceedings.''), 
https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/704732.pdf; USCIS Refugee, Asylum, 
and International Operations, Lesson Plan on Credible Fear of 
Persecution and Torture Determinations (Apr. 30, 2019) at 31 (``Even 
though the bars to asylum do not apply to the credible fear 
determination, the interviewing officer must elicit and make note of 
all information relevant to whether a bar to asylum or withholding 
applies or not.''), https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/11/10239/10146/2019%20training%20document%20for%20asylum%20screenings.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Lastly, responding to commenters' concerns that such determinations 
would be ``final,'' 8 CFR 208.16(a) provides that an asylum officer 
``shall not decide whether . . . removal of an alien . . . must be 
withheld.'' The rule provides for the asylum officer to conduct a 
screening for potential eligibility for withholding and deferral of 
removal. Asylum officer screening for these protections is currently 
part of the credible fear process and do not result in a grant or 
denial of withholding or deferral of removal, which can only be done by 
an immigration judge, 8 CFR 208.16(a), 208.17, 1208.16(a), and 1208.17. 
An asylum officer's determination following a credible fear interview 
can be reviewed by an immigration judge, either as part of a de novo 
review of a negative credible fear determination, or in asylum-and-
withholding-only proceedings, where the immigration judge is not bound 
by findings of the asylum officer. As the Supreme Court has observed, 
``[a]n alien subject to expedited removal thus has an opportunity at 
three levels to obtain an asylum hearing, and the applicant will obtain 
one unless the asylum officer, a supervisor, and an immigration judge 
all find that the applicant has not asserted a credible fear.'' \84\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \84\ Thuraissigiam, 140 S. Ct. at 1965-66.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments have reviewed and considered the comments and are 
not making changes to the final rule in response to these comments.
Confidentiality of Health Information
    Comment: One commenter stated that the rule violates asylum 
seekers' right to privacy and confidentiality by requiring them to 
disclose health information to immigration officers. The commenter also 
faulted the rule for failing to include specifics on how asylum 
seekers' personal health information, medical records, and health data 
would be collected, stored, and transmitted.
    Response: Information voluntarily provided to DHS for purposes of 
adjudicating a requested benefit often contains sensitive personally 
identifiable information. In particular, health information that is 
collected and maintained within DHS systems of records, for example in 
the context of the health ground of inadmissibility, INA 212(a)(1), 8 
U.S.C. 1182(a)(1); INA 237(a)(1)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1227((a)(1)(A), as it 
applies to applications for adjustment of status, INA 245(a)(2), 8 
U.S.C. 1255(a)(2), is appropriately protected and handled in the same 
manner as other sensitive information possessed by DHS. Information 
about the safeguarding of health information and other sensitive 
information may be found in the various System of Records Notice and 
Privacy Impact Assessments that DHS and its components are statutorily 
required to prepare.\85\ Moreover, asylum, credible fear, reasonable 
fear and by policy, refugee information, enjoy heighted

[[Page 84177]]

confidentiality protections provided for in accordance with 8 CFR 
208.6.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \85\ Available at https://www.dhs.gov/uscis-pias-and-sorns.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written Record and Immigration Judge Review of Negative Credible Fear 
Determinations
    Comment: One commenter addressed the proposed provision at 8 CFR 
208.30(e)(1), which calls for a written record in the credible fear 
proceeding ``subject to (e)(5)''. The commenter stated this amendment 
was unclear and warned that excusing any credible fear interview from 
the written record requirement violates the statute at 8 U.S.C. 
1225(b)(1)(B)(iii)(II).
    Response: The Departments appreciate the comment received and 
acknowledge the ambiguity that may have been created from the proposed 
amendment to section 208.30(e)(1). The proposed language was intended 
to simply clarify that when an asylum officer creates a written record 
of his or her determination following a credible fear interview, the 
officer should, as applicable, include a written record of their 
determination as to whether the alien has demonstrated that it is more 
likely than not that he or she would be tortured in the country of 
removal. After considering the comment, the Departments have revised 
the language of the proposed amendment (now at section 208.30(e)(4) 
following the promulgation of the Global Asylum Final Rule) to make 
this clearer.
Violation of Congressional Intent for Credible Fear Screening Process
    Comment: A joint submission argued that Congress did not grant DHS 
authority to create bars to credible fear that are unrelated to asylum 
eligibility at the time of the adjudication of an application. Multiple 
commenters argued that Congress intended for the credible fear process 
to employ a ``low screening standard'' in order to ensure that asylum 
seekers with genuine claims have access to the full asylum process and 
are not returned to persecution, and faulted the proposal for raising 
this standard.
    Response: The NPRM did propose to modify the then-existing 
regulatory framework in order to apply the danger to the security of 
the United States bars at the credible fear stage. However, subsequent 
to the publication of the NPRM, the intervening Global Asylum Final 
Rule amended the regulatory framework to apply all bars to eligibility 
for asylum and withholding of removal--including the danger to the 
security of the United States bars--at the credible fear stage. This 
rule does not make additional revisions to that regulatory framework.
    In any event, the final rule does not create a ``bar'' to credible 
fear unrelated to asylum eligibility. The Departments will continue to 
employ the ``low screening standard'' prescribed in statute and 
regulations--a significant possibility that the alien could establish 
eligibility for asylum. However, pursuant to the Global Asylum Final 
Rule, asylum officers must determine whether aliens are subject to a 
bar to relief as part of the significant possibility anaylsis. 
Accordingly, the Departments are not making changes to the final rule 
in response to these comments.
3. Streamlining Screening for Deferral of Removal Eligibility in 
Expedited Removal
Ability of Asylum Seekers To Meet Higher Standard for Protection Under 
CAT in Credible Fear Screenings
    Comment: The Departments received multiple comments concerning the 
provisions of the rule that amend the screening standard for potential 
eligibility for deferral of removal under the CAT regulations. Under 
the rule, section 208.30(e)(5)(i)(B) is amended to provide that where 
the asylum officer determines that the applicant is subject to the 
danger to the security of the United States bars to asylum and 
withholding of removal, the officer will screen for potential deferral 
of removal protection under the CAT regulations for an alien who has 
raised a fear of torture by determining whether the alien is able to 
establish that it is more likely than not that he or she would be 
tortured in the prospective country of removal, rather than whether 
there is a reasonable possibility that the alien would be tortured in 
the prospective country of removal. Several commenters stated that the 
``more likely than not'' standard is unreasonable in the context of a 
credible fear screening and argued that this standard was only 
appropriate for a full immigration hearing before an immigration judge, 
where a ``more likely than not standard'' is used as the eligibility 
standard for deferral of removal. The commenters further argued that 
raising the standard of proof to the level of a full immigration 
hearing was inappropriate because individuals in screenings are likely 
to have less than the required amount of evidence at the time of their 
arrival and insufficient time to prove their case. Multiple commenters 
argued that applying the ``more likely than not'' standard at the 
expedited removal stage violates the expedited removal standard that 
was intentionally designed by Congress to be ``generous'' and ``over-
inclusive'' to avoid the risk of refoulement. The commenters said 
requiring individuals subject to a danger to the security of the United 
States bar to prove they are ``more likely than not'' to be tortured in 
the country of removal was an unlawful change to the credible fear 
standard intended by Congress and clearly articulated in the text and 
legislative history of IIRIRA. Other commenters noted that those 
seeking protection under the CAT regulations who have suffered recent 
trauma and psychological harm would have difficulty understanding 
complex legal requirements and would be unable to fully disclose 
everything that has happened to them in a ``rushed'' interview with a 
stranger, resulting in an undue risk that those facing torture would 
not be provided appropriate protection. Another commenter added that 
allowing removal to a third country at the early screening stage would 
mean that no thorough record will exist as to a person's risk of 
torture in that third country, a risk the commenter argued may be very 
high considering the permeability of borders and ease of movement of 
persecutors between Mexico and Central American countries.
    Response: The Departments first note that the expedited removal 
provisions of the INA do not even reference screening for withholding 
or deferral of removal under the CAT regulations. The rule continues to 
apply the credible fear standard required by statute, defined as a 
significant possibility that the alien can establish eligibility for 
asylum. INA 235(b)(1)(B)(v). It is only when the alien is determined 
not to meet that significant possibility standard due to the 
application of the danger to the security of the United States bars 
(subject to review by an immigration judge), and determined not to meet 
the screening standard for withholding of removal (a reasonable 
possibility of persecution on account of a protected ground and a 
reasonable possibility of torture), that DHS will use the ``more likely 
than not'' standard to screen for potential eligibility for deferral of 
removal. There is no statutory requirement to even screen for deferral 
of removal, putting aside the screening standard used by DHS when it 
voluntarily engages in screening.
    The Departments note that the utilization of the ``more likely than 
not'' standard in deferral screenings only applies to aliens determined 
by DHS to be ineligible for asylum and withholding of removal pursuant 
to the danger to the security of the United States eligibility bars (or 
ineligible for asylum pursuant to the Third-Country Transit Final 
Rule). Aliens determined

[[Page 84178]]

by asylum officers to be ineligible for asylum or withholding of 
removal pursuant to the other mandatory bars will continue to be 
screened for deferral of removal under the reasonable possibility of 
torture standard, as provided by the Global Asylum Final Rule.
    Sending an alien to immigration court for a deferral of removal 
adjudication often results in his or her release into the United States 
for periods of years while the aliens await decisional finality. The 
need to streamline and expedite screening for deferral of removal is 
especially great in the context of outbreaks of communicable disease to 
prevent infected aliens from release into the United States when they 
are not even ultimately eligible for deferral. As the CDC has 
concluded, the ``faster a covered alien \86\ is returned . . . the 
lower the risk the alien poses of introducing, transmitting, or 
spreading COVID-19 into POEs, Border Patrol stations, other congregate 
settings, and the interior [of the United States].'' \87\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \86\ In the context of the CDC Order, a ``covered alien'' 
includes those ``persons who are traveling from Canada or Mexico 
(regardless of their country of origin), and who must be held longer 
in congregate settings in POEs or Border Patrol stations to 
facilitate immigration processing, would typically be aliens seeking 
to enter the United States at POEs who do not have proper travel 
documents, aliens whose entry is otherwise contrary to law, and all 
aliens who are apprehended near the border seeking to unlawfully 
enter the United States between POEs.'' 85 FR at 17067.
    \87\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments disagree that the ``more likely than not'' standard 
is an inappropriate screening standard for potential protection under 
the CAT regulations. In fact, Congress made clear that in providing 
protection under the CAT regulations, the government should not grant 
protection to aliens barred from eligibility for withholding of removal 
``[t]o the maximum extent consistent with the obligations of the United 
States under [CAT].'' \88\ The sole purpose of CAT deferral is to 
provide protection to such aliens (barred from eligibility for 
withholding of removal) in order ensure that they are not refouled to a 
country where it is likely that they will be tortured. The preamble to 
the 1999 CAT rule stated that ``[d]eferral of removal will be granted . 
. . to an alien who is likely to be tortured in the country of removal 
but who is barred from withholding of removal[,]'' \89\ and the 
regulatory text itself states that to be eligible for deferral an alien 
must be ``subject to the provisions for mandatory denial of withholding 
of removal under Sec.  208.16(d)(2) or (d)(3).'' \90\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \88\ FARRA sec. 2242(c), 8 U.S.C. 1231 note (c).
    \89\ Regulations Concerning the Convention Against Torture, 64 
FR 8478, 8480 (Feb. 19, 1999).
    \90\ 8 CFR 208.17(a), 1208.17(a).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This rule furthers Congress's mandate that the withholding of 
removal eligibility bars apply to aliens seeking protection under the 
CAT regulations ``[t]o the maximum extent consistent with the 
obligations of the United States under [CAT]'' by requiring that aliens 
meet at the credible fear stage their ultimate burden to demonstrate 
eligibility for deferral of removal--i.e., that it is more likely than 
not that they would be tortured in the country of removal. 8 CFR 
208.16(c)(2), 208.17(a).
    Regarding the commenter's concern about the alien's ability to meet 
his or her burden with respect to possible torture, as the Departments 
have noted, asylum officers are trained to research and consider 
country conditions information, and engage in non-adversarial interview 
techniques that are designed to elicit all relevant information.\91\ 
And, as the Departments have noted, testimony alone, if otherwise 
credible, can be sufficient to meet the alien's burden.\92\ The 
Departments are confident that officers will be able to access and 
consider all relevant information that may bear on an alien's potential 
risk of torture in any particular country.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \91\ 8 CFR 208.30(d).
    \92\ INA 208(b)(1)(B)(ii) and 241(b)(3)(C), 8 U.S.C. 
1158(b)(1)(B)(ii) and 1231(b)(3)(C); 8 CFR 208.13(a), 208.16, and 
208.16(c)(2).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regarding commenters' concerns that this standard is higher than 
the asylum standard, the ``more likely than not'' standard better 
aligns the initial screening standard of proof with the higher standard 
used to determine whether aliens are in fact eligible for this form of 
protection when applying before an immigration judge (than the ultimate 
standard for asylum eligibility). As noted, Congress intended the 
``more likely than not'' standard to meet United States' non-
refoulement obligations in Article 33(1) of the Refugee Convention, not 
the lower asylum standard.
    The Departments recognize that a higher screening standard may make 
it more difficult to receive a positive fear determination, though that 
standard is consistent with the higher burden of proof required for 
considerations of the merits. However, the Departments disagree with 
commenters that raising the screening standard for deferral of removal 
will require aliens to submit significantly stronger documentary 
evidence. Just as in screenings for asylum and withholding of removal 
eligibility, the testimony of the applicant, if credible, may be 
sufficient to sustain the alien's burden of proof without 
corroboration. 8 CFR 208.17(a). At the credible fear interview stage, 
these claims rest largely on the applicant's testimony, which does not 
require any additional evidence gathering on the applicant's part. 
Additionally, an alien who receives an adverse ``more likely than not'' 
determination by an asylum officer may seek review of such 
determination by an immigration judge.
Requirement To Affirmatively Raise and Affirmatively Establish 
Likelihood of Torture in Prospective Country of Removal
    Comment: Several commenters argued that, since asylum seekers 
fleeing torture often experience trauma and lack of understanding of 
U.S. immigration law, they should not be required to make an 
affirmative statement in credible fear interviews that they may be 
tortured if returned to their home country. Some commenters opposed the 
requirement that an asylum seeker in the expedited removal process 
``affirmatively establish'' that torture in the prospective country of 
removal is more likely than not. A group of commenters said the rule 
would essentially require asylum seekers to somehow ``affirmatively 
establish'' eligibility for withholding of removal or protection under 
the CAT regulations in an unknown third country. Another commenter said 
it is unclear how the Departments understand ``affirmatively 
establish'' (in the proposed regulations) in relation to 
``affirmatively raise'' (only stated in the preamble). The commenter 
said the shift to ``affirmatively establish'' in the proposed 
regulations appears to suggest a heightened burden on the asylum 
seeker, in addition to raising the required risk of torture, signaling 
a burden of presenting affirmative proof of torture at the credible or 
reasonable fear interviews. The commenter said it is unclear and 
confusing as to what standard the Departments are inserting.
    Response: The Departments appreciate the comments concerning the 
``affirmatively establish'' language that appeared in the regulatory 
language of the proposed rule. The adverb was included to make clear 
that the alien has the burden of proof to establish that torture is 
more likely than not to occur in the prospective country of removal. 
After considering the comments, the Departments have concluded that the 
term ``affirmatively'' may cause confusion and is not necessary to 
clarify the burden of proof, which clearly rests with the alien. 
Accordingly, the term ``affirmatively'' has been deleted from

[[Page 84179]]

the regulatory text in the final rule at sections 
208.30(e)(5)(i)(B)(3), (e)(5)(iii)(B), (e)(5)(iii)(B)(3), and 
1208.30(g)(2)(iv)(A). An alien's obligation is simply to ``establish.''
    As to ``affirmatively raises'', the preamble to the NPRM stated 
that ``[i]f the alien affirmatively raises fear of torture . . . the 
asylum officer will then assess, as appropriate, the alien's 
eligibility for deferral of removal under the CAT regulations'' and 
that ``[a]n alien who is found by the asylum officer to be subject to 
the bars and who affirmatively raises a fear of torture but does not 
establish that it is more likely than not that he or she would be 
tortured can obtain review of both of those determinations by an IJ.'' 
\93\ The Departments have concluded that the phrase ``affirmatively 
raises'' could cause confusion, and thus incorporate the preceding 
sentences by reference in this final rule with the understanding that 
``affirmatively raises'' should read, ``has raised''.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \93\ Security Bars NPRM, 85 FR at 41213 (emphasis added).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The INS and now DHS's longstanding practice has been to ask every 
alien subject to expedited removal about a potential fear of return. 
The regulatory text at 8 CFR 235.3(b)(2)(i), which is not changed by 
this rule, does not state this explicitly, providing that:

    In every case in which the expedited removal provisions will be 
applied and before removing an alien from the United States pursuant 
to this section, the examining immigration officer shall create a 
record of the facts of the case and statements made by the alien. 
This shall be accomplished by means of a sworn statement using Form 
I-867AB . . . . The examining immigration officer shall read (or 
have read) to the alien all information contained on Form I-867A.

    However, the preamble to the regulation made clear that all aliens 
placed into expedited removal were to be questioned about a fear of 
return:

    Service procedures require that all expedited removal cases will 
be documented by creation of an official Service file, to include a 
complete sworn statement taken from the alien recording all the 
facts of the case and the reasons for a finding of inadmissibility. 
This sworn statement will be taken on a new Form I-867AB, Record of 
Sworn Statement in Proceedings under Section 235(b)(1) of the Act. 
The form will be used in every case where it is determined that an 
alien is subject to the expedited removal process, and contains a 
statement of rights, purpose, and consequences of the process. . . . 
The final page of the form contains a standard question asking if 
the alien has any fear or concern of being removed or of being sent 
home.\94\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \94\ Inspection and Expedited Removal of Aliens; Detention and 
Removal of Aliens; Conduct of Removal Proceedings; Asylum 
Procedures, 62 FR 10312, 10319 (Mar. 6, 1997) (interim rule with 
request for comments) (emphasis added).

    Accordingly, CBP/ICE officers ask aliens these questions during the 
expedited removal process:
    <bullet> Why did you leave your home country or country of last 
residence?
    <bullet> Do you have any fear or concern about being returned to 
your home country or being removed from the United States?
    <bullet> Would you be harmed if you are returned to your home 
country or country of last residence?
    The alien's answers to these questions are memorialized on the I-
867B Form.\95\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \95\ DHS, Form I-867B (08/01/07) (Jurat for Record of Sworn 
Statement in Proceedings under Section 235(b)(1) of the Act).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Thus, all aliens receiving credible fear screening interviews will 
already have been asked whether they have a fear of return and have 
answered in the affirmative (triggering the credible fear process). 
Aliens with a fear of return based on torture would presumably have 
stated such a fear at that time.
Unidentified Third Country
    Comment: Many commenters stated that the rule would eliminate even 
the prospect of protection under the CAT regulations because DHS 
officials would be permitted to send an alien to a third country unless 
the alien proves during a credible fear interview that they would be 
persecuted or tortured in that specific country--without any 
requirement that the person be informed of the identity of the country 
in advance, which one commenter argued is nonsensical, immoral, and 
cruel. Without notice of the country a person would be sent to, these 
commenters said asylum applicants would face a near-impossible burden 
to avoid being sent to a place where they may be tortured.
    Response: The Departments appreciate the comments and agree that an 
alien should be informed of the identity of a prospective country of 
removal, provided with an opportunity to raise a fear of torture if 
removed to that country, and to have that fear assessed to determine 
whether he or she has established that it is more likely than not that 
they will be tortured in that country. That was always the Departments' 
intent, and the Departments accordingly include language in the final 
rule clarifying that aliens must be notified of the identity of the 
proposed country.
Unclear Process for Removability Determinations
    Comment: Some commenters stated that the proposed rule is unclear 
as to the process by which determinations about removability to a third 
country will be made for individuals who have shown a credible fear of 
persecution or torture in their home country. The commenters said that 
given that asylum seekers only request withholding or deferral of 
removal in removal proceedings before an immigration judge after the 
credible fear process is completed, it is unclear when and how asylum 
seekers would be advised of the potential for removal to a third 
country and provided an opportunity to withdraw their request in order 
to prevent removal to the third country. Another commenter said asylum 
seekers will be confused by this advisal and feel coerced into 
abandoning any claim for protection out of fear that they might be 
removed to a country that they may never have been to, and where they 
have no support system or means of ensuring their safety or survival. 
Other commenters said the rule fails to include an exception for LGBTQ 
persons who may not be able to survive in a third country due to on-
the-ground homophobia or transphobia, as it remains illegal or 
fundamentally dangerous to openly identify as LGBTQ (or even be 
perceived as LGBTQ) in over 80 countries around the world.
    Response: The Departments appreciate the comments concerning the 
rule's requirement that aliens be notified of the possibility of third 
country removal at the time of requesting withholding or deferral of 
removal and provided an opportunity to withdraw their request in order 
to prevent removal to the third country. However, after considering the 
comments, the Departments are not making changes to the final rule.
    Once an asylum officer determines that an alien has not established 
the requisite fear with respect to potential eligibility for asylum and 
withholding of removal because they are subject to the danger to the 
security of the United States eligibility bars, if the alien had raised 
a fear of torture in the prospective country of removal, the asylum 
officer will assess whether it is more likely than not that the alien 
would be tortured in that country of removal, and thus potentially 
eligible for deferral of removal. Prior to that assessment, the alien 
would be notified of the possibility of removal to a third country and 
provided the opportunity to proceed to removal pursuant to INA 241(b), 
as appropriate.
    The Departments do not view the process as coercive as suggested by 
the commenters. Rather, the process provides applicants with an 
opportunity to avoid an outcome that already exists.

[[Page 84180]]

Under current regulations, an alien who is granted withholding or 
deferral of removal is protected from removal only to a particular 
country, and remains subject to removal to other countries. 8 CFR 
1208.30(f). This rule provides the alien with the option to return to 
his or her home country rather than to seek withholding or deferral 
protection, which could lead to such third country removal.
    As stated previously, asylum officers are trained to research and 
consider country conditions information and engage in non-adversarial 
interview techniques designed to elicit all relevant information. 
Accordingly, the Departments are confident that officers will be able 
to access and consider all relevant information that may bear on an 
LGBTQ person's potential risk of torture in any particular country.
Similarities With the MPP Process
    Comment: Several commenters raised concerns related to the Migrant 
Protection Protocols (MPP), which implement DHS's authority under INA 
235(b)(2)(C), 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(2)(C), to return certain aliens 
temporarily to Mexico during the pendency of their section 240 removal 
proceedings. They argued that the Departments failed to acknowledge and 
discuss adverse legal precedent issued in the MPP context and claimed 
that this rule broadens the ``disastrous humanitarian consequences'' 
caused by the MPP. Specifically, one commenter noted that under the 
MPP, individuals must ``affirmatively'' express a fear of return to 
Mexico and then prove that it is ``more likely than not'' that they 
``will face persecution or torture if returned to Mexico,'' the same 
standards used to avoid being sent to a third country under the NPRM. 
Further, they pointed out that in Innovation Law Lab v. Wolf,\96\ the 
Ninth Circuit held that the MPP ``does not comply with the United 
States' anti-refoulement obligations,'' and the commenter claimed that 
the use of the same standards in the third country removal process also 
does not provide sufficient protection against non-refoulement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \96\ 951 F.3d 1073 (9th Cir. 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Response: This rule is in no way related to the MPP and does not 
constitute an expansion or modification of the MPP. The MPP implements 
DHS's authority under INA 235(b)(2)(C), 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(2)(C), to 
return certain aliens temporarily to Mexico during the pendency of 
their section 240 removal proceedings. The MPP does not involve or 
implement any bars to eligibility for asylum or withholding of removal.
    This rule, on the other hand, allows the Departments to consider 
emergency public health concerns when determining whether there are 
reasonable grounds for regarding or believing an alien to be a danger 
to the security of the United States'' and, thus, ineligible to be 
granted asylum or withholding of removal. Although the Ninth Circuit 
held that the plaintiffs in Innovation Law Lab were likely to succeed 
on the merits of their claim that the MPP's non-refoulment screening 
procedures did not meet U.S. non-refoulment obligations, the 
Departments disagree, and the question remains in litigation. The 
Supreme Court granted a stay of the district court's preliminary 
injunction, declining to halt the use of the MPP non-refoulment 
screening procedures,\97\ and the Supreme Court has granted a petition 
for certiorari.\98\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \97\ Wolf v. Innovation Law Lab, No. 19A960 (Mar. 11, 2020).
    \98\ Wolf v. Innovation Law Lab, No. 19-1212, __ S. Ct.__, 2020 
WL 6121563, 20 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 10,700 (petition for cert. 
granted Oct. 19, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To the extent that commenters refer to country conditions in 
Mexico, this final rule permits removal to any third country (in which 
the alien has not demonstrated that he or she would be more likely than 
not persecuted because of a protected ground or tortured). Therefore, 
conditions in any specific country are no more relevant than conditions 
in any other country, and it is merely speculative as to which third 
countries DHS might consider in the future.
    The Departments also point out that the Ninth Circuit concluded 
that ``plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits of 
their claim that the MPP does not comply with the United States' anti-
refoulement obligations'' \99\ presumably based upon ``several features 
of the MPP that, in [plaintiffs'] view, provide insufficient protection 
against refoulement'' \100\ features that are not present in this final 
rule. Unlike under the expedited removal process, under the MPP (1) 
aliens ``must volunteer, without any prompting, that they fear 
returning,'' \101\ (2) aliens must demonstrate that it is more likely 
than not that they will be persecuted,\102\ and (3) ``an asylum seeker 
is not entitled to advance notice of, and time to prepare for, the 
hearing with the asylum officer; to advance notice of the criteria the 
asylum officer will use; to the assistance of a lawyer during the 
hearing; or to any review of the asylum officer's determination.'' 
\103\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \99\ Id. at 1093.
    \100\ Id. at 1088.
    \101\ Id. at 1089. As previously noted, DHS's longstanding 
practice has been to ask every alien subject to expedited removal 
about a potential fear of return.
    \102\ Id. at 1088-89. In credible fear screenings in the 
expedited removal process, aliens need to show only a significant 
possibility that they would be eligible for asylum or a reasonable 
possibility that they would be persecuted or tortured for purposes 
of demonstrating potential eligibility for withholding of removal. 
INA 235(b), 8 U.S.C. 1225(b); 8 CFR 208.30.
    \103\ Id. at 1089. In the expedited removal process, an alien 
may seek review of a negative credible fear determination by an 
immigration judge. INA 235(b)(1)(B)(iii)(III), 8 U.S.C. 
1225(b)(1)(B)(iii)(III). Aliens are entitled to a ``consultation 
period'' before their credible fear interview. INA 235(b)(1)(B)(iv), 
8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)(B)(iv) (``An alien who is eligible for such 
interview may consult with a person or persons of the alien's 
choosing prior to the interview or any review thereof . . . .''). 
The current period is 48 hours. Inspection and Expedited Removal of 
Aliens; Detention and Removal of Aliens; Conduct of Removal 
Proceedings; Asylum Procedures, 62 FR 10312, 10320 (1997) (interim 
rule with request for comments). Aliens in expedited removal 
proceedings know of the charges against them, as aliens are only 
eligible for expedited removal if they are inadmissible on the basis 
of section 212(a)(6)(C) or (a)(7) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(6)(C) 
or (a)(7).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Accordingly, the Departments conclude that MPP procedures and 
related litigation are not relevant to this rule, and the Departments 
are not making changes to the final rule in response to these comments.
4. Restoring Prosecutorial Discretion With Regard to Third Country 
Removal
    Comment: Several commenters claimed that the rule would put 
protection from removal from the United States, including deferral of 
removal under the CAT regulations, out of reach for virtually everyone 
at the border and force those within the Unites States to play a ``game 
of roulette'' in which they could be removed to virtually any country 
in the world unless they withdraw their application for deferral. The 
commenters opposed the NPRM, stating that it would leave the United 
States government providing essentially no protection to those fleeing 
persecution or torture. Other commenters similarly stated that the rule 
threatens to eliminate the prospect of protection under the CAT 
regulations by allowing removal to third countries. Another advocacy 
group said asylum seekers sent to third countries would be unable to 
challenge DHS' decision to do so, and the only option left for them 
would be to withdraw their application for protection altogether.
    Response: The Departments have reviewed and considered comments 
that have expressed concerns regarding the exercise of discretion to 
remove aliens to third countries who are only potentially eligible for 
deferral of removal under the CAT regulations due to the security bars 
to eligibility for

[[Page 84181]]

asylum and withholding of removal. The Departments remind commenters 
that third country removal is already authorized by statute and 
utilized in cases where the United States government has a safe third 
country agreement with another country. INA 208(a)(2)(A).\104\ And, 
unlike asylum, statutory withholding of removal and protection under 
the CAT regulations provide protection from removal only to the 
particular country regarding which an alien has established he or she 
is more likely than not to be persecuted or tortured if removed there. 
An alien can be removed to another country where the alien has not 
established that he or she is more likely than not to be persecuted 
(and is not subject to a bar to eligibility for withholding) or 
tortured if removed to that particular country. INA 241(b), 8 U.S.C. 
1231(b). As DOJ stated in the final rule implementing the U.S.-Canada 
Safe Third Country Agreement:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \104\ See also Asylum Claims Made by Aliens Arriving From Canada 
at Land Border Ports-of-Entry, 69 FR 69490, 69492 (Nov. 29, 2004); 
Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and 
the Government of the Republic of Guatemala on Cooperation Regarding 
the Examination of Protection Claims, 84 FR 64095 (Nov. 20, 2019).

    [I]t is essential to keep in mind that, in order to be entitled 
to [statutory withholding of removal or protection under the CAT 
regulations], an alien must demonstrate that it is more likely than 
not that he or she would be persecuted, or tortured, in the 
particular removal country. That is, withholding or deferral of 
removal relates only to the country as to which the alien has 
established a likelihood of persecution or torture--the alien may 
nonetheless be returned, consistent with CAT and section 241(b)(1) 
and (b)(2) of the Act [INA], to other countries where he or she 
would not face a likelihood of persecution or torture.\105\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \105\ Asylum Claims Made by Aliens Arriving From Canada at Land 
Border Ports-of-Entry, 69 FR at 69492.

    The Departments note that restoring DHS's discretionary ability to 
remove certain aliens to third countries only applies to aliens 
determined to be ineligible for asylum and withholding of removal 
pursuant to the danger to the security of the United States eligibility 
bars, or ineligible for asylum pursuant to the Third-Country Transit 
Final Rule. Aliens determined by asylum officers to be ineligible for 
asylum or withholding pursuant to the other mandatory bars will 
continue to be screened for deferral of removal under the reasonable 
possibility of torture standard, as provided by the Global Asylum Final 
Rule, and placed in immigration court for asylum-and-withholding-only 
removal proceedings should they establish such a reasonable 
possibility.
    As noted previously, sending aliens to immigration court for a 
deferral adjudication often results in their release into the United 
States for periods of years. Restoring DHS's ability to instead remove 
such aliens to third countries is especially important in the context 
of outbreaks of communicable disease. As the Departments explained in 
the NPRM, this would give DHS flexibility to quickly process aliens 
during national health emergencies during which placing an alien into 
section 240 proceedings (now, pursuant to the Global Asylum Final Rule, 
into asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings) may pose a danger to the 
health and safety of other aliens with whom the alien is detained, or 
to DHS officials who come into close contact with the alien. The 
government's interest in protecting the security of the United States 
outweighs an alien's interest in receiving protection in the country of 
their choosing. UNHCR itself has concluded that ``refugees do not have 
an unfettered right to choose their `asylum country,' '' that, even if 
their ``intentions . . . ought to be taken into account,'' they and 
``may be returned or transferred to a state where they had found, could 
have found or, pursuant to a formal agreement, can find international 
protection.'' \106\ UNHCR explained that ``[t]he 1951 Convention 
relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol do not 
prohibit such return or transfer.'' \107\ As discussed, pandemics 
(e.g., COVID-19) can inflict catastrophic damage to America's, and the 
world's, economy and thus, to the security of the United States. To the 
extent that such damage has it origin with or can be exacerbated by 
infected aliens seeking to enter the United States illegally or without 
proper documents, the Departments believe the entry and presence of 
potentially infected aliens in certain circumstances warrant the use of 
discretion to remove aliens placed into expedited removal proceedings 
to third countries, avoiding the need for their lengthy detention or 
release into American communities during the pendency of their asylum-
and-withholding-only proceedings. Accordingly, the Departments disagree 
with commenters that suggest the rule should permit aliens who are 
subject to the danger to the security of the United States bars to 
challenge DHS's exercise of prosecutorial discretion in removing them 
to third countries.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \106\ UNHCR, Legal Considerations Regarding Access to Protection 
and a Connection Between the Refugee and the Third Country in the 
Context of Return or Transfer to Safe Third Countries ] 2 (Apr. 
2018), https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5acb33ad4.pdf.
    \107\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments remind commenters that the danger to the security 
of the United States bars are applicable not just during the present 
COVID-19 public health emergency, but for future pandemics or public 
health emergencies that meet the thresholds in this rule. Thus, the 
application of the bars to asylum and withholding of removal will be 
tailored to accommodate the specific circumstances of those public 
health emergencies. The application of these bars is designed to 
prevent the entry or limit the further spread of serious communicable 
diseases into the United States, which would be exacerbated by lengthy 
review processes to review claims made by recent entrants to the United 
States.
5. Other Comments on Proposed Changes
Removal of the Reconsideration of a Negative Fear Determination
    Comment: Many commenters, including legal services providers and 
advocacy groups, expressed concern that proposed 8 CFR 
1208.30(g)(2)(iv)(A) would eliminate asylum officers' authority to 
reconsider negative credible fear determinations that had been affirmed 
on review by immigration judges, which they described as an important 
layer of due process for asylum seekers. Multiple commenters reasoned 
that the ability of the asylum officer to reconsider provides an 
important safeguard for unrepresented and/or traumatized asylum seekers 
who were unable to fully express a fear of return during an initial 
interview and review hearing. Several commenters argued that preventing 
reconsideration in no way advances the purported health objective of 
the proposed rule. Another commenter stated that the lack of 
explanation of such a major change suggests an ``alarming lack of 
thoroughness or analysis'' in the Departments' promulgation of the 
proposal.
    Response: The Departments appreciate the comments received, and 
want to state that an inadvertent typographical omission resulted in 
the elimination of the existing reference to DHS's reconsideration 
authority at 1208.30(g)(2)(iv)(A). In any event, the Global Asylum 
Final Rule reinserted the relevant regulatory text at 8 CFR 
208.30(g)(2)(i). DHS may continue to reconsider a negative credible 
fear finding that has been concurred upon by an immigration judge after 
providing

[[Page 84182]]

notice of its reconsideration to the immigration judge.
Improper Reference to the Third-Country Transit Ban
    Comments: Commenters expressed concern regarding the interplay of 
this rulemaking effort with the interim final rule Asylum Eligibility 
and Procedural Modifications \108\ (``Third-Country Transit IFR''). 
Specifically, commenters were concerned that that rule had been vacated 
and enjoined by Federal courts. A few commenters asserted that the 
Departments failed to justify why a proposed rule focused on an 
eligibility bars based on public health would address an unrelated 
eligibility bar. One commenter asserted that the Departments should 
eliminate provisions that reference the Third-Country Transit IFR or 
provide additional justification for how and why the provisions remain 
pertinent. Another commenter argued that the reference to the IFR is 
improper because its legitimacy is under review in federal courts, has 
been vacated by at least one, and that the Departments provided no 
notice that the third-country transit ``ban'' is again being considered 
for incorporation as a regulation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \108\ 84 FR 33829 (July 16, 2019).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Response: The Departments recently promulgated the Third-Country 
Transit Final Rule, Asylum Eligibility and Procedural Modifications, 85 
FR 82260 (December 17, 2020), which responded to comments received on 
the Third-Country Transit IFR and made minor changes for clarity and 
correction of typographical errors, and promulgated the Global Asylum 
Final Rule. As these rules supersede the Third-Country Transit IFR, 
this Security Bars and Processing final rule modifies the NPRM's 
proposed changes to the Third-Country Transit IFR's regulatory text to 
reflect the text of the now-operative Global Asylum Final Rule. This 
also serves to resolve any possible concerns regarding modifying the 
text of a regulation subject to a preliminary injunction.
Due Process Concerns
    Comment: Numerous commenters expressed concern about the NPRM's 
impact on due process. A religious organization alleged generally that 
the rule would deprive aliens of the opportunity to be heard before a 
judge. A legal services provider remarked that immigration proceedings 
must conform to the Fifth Amendment's due process requirement and 
stated that legal scholars have observed that expedited removal 
proceedings do not afford asylum seekers with important due process 
protections such as access to counsel. The commenter said the Supreme 
Court had previously noted its ``discomfort'' with the minimal due 
process protections, given the severe consequence of deportation, and 
the commenter argued the proposal would further diminish due process 
protections by denying asylum seekers access to the court and the BIA.
    One commenter alleged, without elaboration, that the rule 
``circumvents mandatory procedural rights enshrined in the removal 
process.'' Another commenter stated that the Due Process Clause 
requires that agencies implement procedures for access to ``a statutory 
right to apply for asylum'' fairly and consistently, and argued that 
the NPRM would contravene this requirement by ``throw[ing] the 
procedures for accessing asylum protections into chaos.''
    One commenter argued that constitutional due process rights extend 
to aliens and that they are especially important in asylum cases, where 
the consequences of adverse decisions are severe and could result in 
deportation, torture, or death. The commenter claimed further that the 
rule attempts to evade these protections and statutory asylum 
procedures and apply arbitrary, unlawful indicia of dangerousness 
without justification.
    An advocacy group wrote that UNHCR guidance requires that asylum 
applicants be afforded due process. Similarly, an international agency 
commented that ``UNHCR's position is that it is contrary to 
international law to deprive asylum seekers of access to a full 
examination of the substance of their claim based on an exclusionary 
ground.'' The commenter reasoned that screening interviews are 
inadequate to assess the factual and legal issues surrounding asylum, 
especially given the lack of legal assistance, translation, and time to 
recover from trauma that an applicant may face.
    Response: The rule does not violate constitutional or statutory due 
process protections. The Supreme Court recently ruled in United States 
v. Thuraissigiam \109\ (in the context of reversing a Ninth Circuit 
decision that had declared the expedited removal statute's limitation 
on federal habeas review as unconstitutional for suspending the writ of 
habeas corpus and violating due process) that:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \109\ 140 S. Ct. at 1959.

    While aliens who have established connections in this country 
have due process rights in deportation proceedings, the Court long 
ago held that Congress is entitled to set the conditions for an 
alien's lawful entry into this country and that, as a result, an 
alien at the threshold of initial entry cannot claim any greater 
rights under the Due Process Clause. See Nishimura Ekiu v. United 
States, 142 U.S. 651, 660 . . . (1892). Respondent attempted to 
enter the country illegally and was apprehended just 25 yards from 
the border. He therefore has no entitlement to procedural rights 
other than those afforded by statute.\110\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \110\ Id. at 1963-64.

    [R]espondent contends that IIRIRA violates his right to due process 
by precluding judicial review of his allegedly flawed credible-fear 
proceeding. . . . The Ninth Circuit agreed, holding that respondent 
``had a constitutional right to expedited removal proceedings that 
conformed to the dictates of due process.'' . . .
    [T]he dissent [is in] correct in defending the Ninth Circuit's 
holding. That holding is contrary to more than a century of precedent. 
In 1892, the Court wrote that as to ``foreigners who have never been 
naturalized, nor acquired any domicil or residence within the United 
States, nor even been admitted into the country pursuant to law,'' 
``the decisions of executive or administrative officers, acting within 
powers expressly conferred by Congress, are due process of law.'' 
Nishimura Ekiu, 142 U.S. at 660. . . . Since then, the Court has often 
reiterated this important rule. See, e.g., Knauff, 338 U.S. at 544 . . 
. (``Whatever the procedure authorized by Congress is, it is due 
process as far as an alien denied entry is concerned''); Mezei, 345 
U.S. at 212 . . . (same); Landon v. Plasencia, 459 U.S. 21, 32 . . . 
(1982) (``This Court has long held that an alien seeking initial 
admission to the United States requests a privilege and has no 
constitutional rights regarding his application, for the power to admit 
or exclude aliens is a sovereign prerogative'').
    Respondent argues that this rule does not apply to him because he 
was not taken into custody the instant he attempted to enter the 
country (as would have been the case had he arrived at a lawful port of 
entry). Because he succeeded in making it 25 yards into U.S. territory 
before he was caught, he claims the right to be treated more favorably. 
The Ninth Circuit agreed with this argument. We reject it. It 
disregards the reason for our century-old rule regarding the due 
process rights of an alien seeking initial entry. That rule rests on 
fundamental propositions: ``[T]he power to admit or exclude aliens is a 
sovereign prerogative,'' id., at 32 . . ; the Constitution gives ``the 
political department of the government'' plenary authority to decide 
which aliens to

[[Page 84183]]

admit, Nishimura Ekiu, 142 U.S. at 659 . . ; and a concomitant of that 
power is the power to set the procedures to be followed in determining 
whether an alien should be admitted, see Knauff, 338 U.S. at 544 . . . 
.
    This rule would be meaningless if it became inoperative as soon as 
an arriving alien set foot on U.S. soil. When an alien arrives at a 
port of entry--for example, an international airport--the alien is on 
U.S. soil, but the alien is not considered to have entered the country 
for the purposes of this rule. On the contrary, aliens who arrive at 
ports of entry--even those paroled elsewhere in the country for years 
pending removal--are ``treated'' for due process purposes ``as if 
stopped at the border.'' Mezei, 345 U.S. at 215 . . ; see Leng May Ma 
v. Barber, 357 U.S. 185, 188-190 . . . (1958); Kaplan v. Tod, 267 U.S. 
228, 230-231 . . . (1925). The same must be true of an alien like 
respondent. As previously noted, an alien who tries to enter the 
country illegally is treated as an ``applicant for admission,'' Sec.  
1225(a)(1), and an alien who is detained shortly after unlawful entry 
cannot be said to have ``effected an entry,'' Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 
U.S. 678 . . . (2001). Like an alien detained after arriving at a port 
of entry, an alien like respondent is ``on the threshold.'' Mezei, 345 
U.S. at 212 . . . . The rule advocated by respondent and adopted by the 
Ninth Circuit would undermine the ``sovereign prerogative'' of 
governing admission to this country and create a perverse incentive to 
enter at an unlawful rather than a lawful location. Plasencia, 459 U.S. 
at 32 . . . .
    For these reasons, an alien in respondent's position has only those 
rights regarding admission that Congress has provided by statute.\111\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \111\ Id. at 1981-83.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Due process most fundamentally requires notice and an opportunity 
to be heard.\112\ Contrary to commenters' assertions, this rule does 
not deprive aliens of a hearing before an immigration judge. As the 
Departments noted in the NPRM, if an alien subject to expedited removal 
is unable to establish during a credible fear screening the requisite 
possibility of eligibility for asylum or withholding of removal because 
of the danger to the security of the United States eligibility bars, 
the asylum officer's determination is reviewable by an immigration 
judge, as would be the officer's determination that the alien has not 
established it to be more likely than not that he or she would be 
tortured in the prospective country of removal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \112\ LaChance v. Erickson, 522 U.S. 262, 266 (1998) (``The core 
of due process is the right to notice and a meaningful opportunity 
to be heard.'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If, based on this review, the alien is placed in asylum-and-
withholding-only proceedings, the alien will have an opportunity to 
raise whether he or she was correctly identified as subject to the 
bars, as well as other claims. If an immigration judge determines that 
the alien was incorrectly determined to be subject to the bars, and the 
alien has otherwise established the requisite fear of persecution or 
torture, then the alien will be able to seek asylum and withholding of 
removal. And the alien can appeal the immigration judge's decision in 
these proceedings to the BIA and then seek review from a federal court 
of appeals.
    As discussed above, a commenter argued that the NPRM uses public 
health as a pretext to deny asylum because the Departments provide for 
immigration judge review, which can take several days, in which time 
the alien may spread or contract a dangerous virus while in DHS 
custody. Other commenters faulted the Departments for a process they 
claim to be too swift. When read together, commenters faulted the 
Departments for providing a review process that presents significant 
risk of spreading a disease during a pandemic because of lengthy 
review, while at the same time violating due process because the review 
process is too short. The Departments disagree with the premise of each 
assertion, but note that these competing arguments illustrate the 
balance that the Departments are striving to achieve with this rule--
mitigating risk of harm while providing due process protections.\113\ 
The rule balances the interests of public safety with that of due 
process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \113\ Landon v. Plasencia, 459 U.S. 21, 34 (1982) (``In 
evaluating the procedures in any case, the courts must consider the 
interest at stake for the individual, the risk of an erroneous 
deprivation of the interest through the procedures used as well as 
the probable value of additional or different procedural safeguards, 
and the interest of the government in using the current procedures 
rather than additional or different procedure.'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As discussed, the Departments disagree that the rule heightens the 
credible fear standard regarding potential eligibility for asylum. As 
noted, it clarifies the Departments' understanding of danger to the 
security of the United States bars. It does not alter the statutory 
credible fear standard of ``significant possibility.''
    The Departments disagree that this rule will not be applied fairly 
and consistently, that it deprives aliens of a ``statutory right to 
apply for asylum,'' or that it will throw procedures for accessing 
asylum into chaos. This rule applies equally and fairly to all aliens 
who enter or attempt to enter the United States, whether at the 
southern border, the northern border, or any of the more than 300 land, 
air and sea POEs. Further, aliens' right to apply for asylum is, where 
applicable, limited by the expedited removal process, which prohibits 
the filing of an asylum application and a full hearing on that 
application where the alien is unable to establish the requisite fear 
of persecution or torture. It is not clear from the comment how or why 
the asylum system would be thrown into chaos. The Departments therefore 
cannot address the claim.
    The Departments also disagree that the rule violates due process on 
the basis that it does not conform to UNHCR guidance and that screening 
interviews are inadequate. The Departments are not bound by UNHCR 
guidance or supposed ``international norms.'' Further, the Departments 
have many years of combined experience in implementing the credible 
fear screening and review process, and believe the current 
infrastructure and personnel are well positioned to implement this 
final rule.
    Comment: Several commenters argued that applying danger to the 
security of the United States bars at the credible fear screening stage 
would deprive asylum seekers of a full, fair and meaningful opportunity 
to have their asylum claims adjudicated because the credible fear 
screening stage does not include due process protections. Other 
commenters remarked that asylum seekers with meritorious claims would 
be denied the opportunity to testify and present their case before a 
judge if asylum officers determine they are a danger to national 
security on public health grounds, even if they are not actually 
infected with COVID-19 or another contagious disease.
    A legal services provider described the procedural safeguards of 
section 240 proceedings, including increased opportunity for 
administrative and judicial review, and faulted the proposal for 
conflating threshold eligibility and questions of a claim's ultimate 
merits that are more appropriate for section 240 proceedings.
    Another legal services provider stated that the proposal would deny 
asylum seekers due process by making it easier to deport those 
``branded as diseased'' before they can access legal counsel to help 
establish the merits of their claims to asylum.
    One commenter remarked that the proposal would increase the 
evidentiary burden on asylum seekers early in the process and would 
increase the likelihood that vulnerable individuals

[[Page 84184]]

are returned to countries where they risk persecution or torture, and 
argued that asylum seekers' right to avoid being returned to countries 
where their lives would be in danger outweighs the administrative 
efficiencies cited as justification for the proposal.
    A legal services provider argued that applying the danger to the 
security of the United States bars at the credible fear stage would 
lead to ``tremendous due process concerns'' because asylum seekers 
would be forced to present their cases to asylum officers without 
access to counsel, after arduous and traumatic journeys to the United 
States, and after enduring poor conditions in CBP or ICE custody. A 
professional association agreed and stated that expedited removal 
proceedings lack important procedural safeguards such as a meaningful 
opportunity to present evidence to a neutral factfinder, access to 
legal counsel, the opportunity to receive findings of fact and 
conclusions of law, and access to administrative or judicial review. A 
legal services provider stated that asylum seekers must have access to 
legal counsel in order to ensure an adequate review of the merits of 
their cases in the current process and suggested legal assistance would 
be even more important due to changes contained in the NPRM.
    Response: The Departments disagree that applying the danger to the 
security of the United States bars at the credible fear screening 
violates due process on the grounds that it does not provide a full, 
fair and meaningful opportunity for an alien to have his or her asylum 
application adjudicated. As noted above, the Global Asylum Final Rule 
already took this step. In any event, Congress provided for the 
credible fear process, and many aliens seeking admission and expressing 
a fear of return to their home countries are removed each year on the 
basis that they failed to establish a credible fear.
    The Departments recognize that, during a pandemic, aliens with 
otherwise meritorious claims may be subject to the danger to the 
security of the United States bars. However, it was Congress's decision 
to make aliens who there are reasonable grounds for regarding or 
believing to be a danger to the security of the United States 
categorically ineligible for asylum and withholding of removal. In any 
event, aliens who are determined not to have a credible fear of 
persecution or torture may seek immigration judge review of whether the 
security bars were properly applied. If an immigration judge finds the 
bars were improperly applied, and that the alien has established a 
credible fear, the alien will not be removed, but rather placed into 
asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings.
    The Departments also recognize that an alien may be subject to the 
danger to the security of the United States bars where he or she is not 
infected with the relevant communicable disease at the time the 
determination is made, but disagree that this violates due process or 
that it requires a heightened evidentiary standard. The bars do not 
require a positive diagnosis, only that DHS or DOJ have reasonable 
grounds for regarding the alien as a danger. As noted above, the 
Attorney General in Matter of A-H- ruled that ``reasonable'' in this 
context ``implied the use of a `reasonable person' standard'' that was 
``substantially less stringent than preponderance of the evidence,'' 
and instead akin to ``probable cause.'' \114\ The standard ``is 
satisfied if there is information that would permit a reasonable person 
to believe that the alien may pose a danger to the national security.'' 
\115\ Further, ``[t]he information relied on to support the . . . 
determination need not meet standards for admissibility of evidence in 
court proceedings . . . . `It [i]s enough that the information relied 
upon by the Government [i]s not `intrinsically suspect.' '' \116\ These 
standards that have been previously applied to interpretations of the 
security eligibility bars support application of the bars in instances 
where each individual alien is not known to be carrying a particular 
disease. Rather, it is enough, for example, that the prevalence of 
disease in the countries through which the alien has traveled to reach 
the United States makes it reasonable to believe that the entry of 
aliens from that country presents a serious danger of introduction of 
the disease into the United States.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \114\ 23 I&N Dec. at 788-89 (emphasis added).
    \115\ Id. at 789 (citation omitted).
    \116\ Id. at 789-90.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments reject the assertion that the rule violates due 
process based on the claim that it prohibits access to counsel prior to 
the bars' application at credible fear screenings, or that it deprives 
aliens of a meaningful opportunity to present evidence to a neutral 
factfinder, to receive findings of fact and conclusions of law, or to 
access administrative or judicial review. The rule does not alter the 
ability of aliens to consult with counsel, INA 235(b)(1)(B)(iv), 8 
U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)(B)(iv), to present testimony to the asylum officer in 
an interview conducted in a non-adversarial manner, with the goal of 
eliciting all relevant and useful information bearing on whether the 
alien can establish a credible fear of persecution, reasonable 
possibility of persecution, reasonable possibility of torture, or 
whether it is more likely than not that the alien will be tortured in 
the prospective country of removal, INA 235(b)(1)(B)(iii)(II), 8 U.S.C. 
1225(b)(1)(B)(iii)(II), 8 CFR 208.30(d), or to request an immigration 
judge's de novo review of the asylum officer's determination, INA 
235(b)(1)(B)(iii)(III), 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)(B)(iii)(III), 8 CFR 
1003.42(d)(1).
    Comment: Some commenters emphasized that the NPRM could allow the 
removal of an applicant seeking deferral of removal to a third country 
before the adjudication of the case in immigration court by an 
immigration judge. Some commenters claimed that removing asylum seekers 
to third countries before their pending asylum claims are adjudicated 
would unfairly and illegally deprive them of the opportunity to 
establish eligibility for asylum. A legal services provider said the 
proposed rule's efforts to effectuate third country removals would 
deliberately interfere with EOIR's review of the merits of the asylum 
seeker's claim, who could be deported abruptly prior to their day in 
court.
    Another commenter said the rule would deport thousands of people to 
likely deaths before they even have a chance to express their fear.
    Response: The Departments disagree that the rule allows for the 
removal of an alien seeking protection from a third country before 
their asylum claims are adjudicated. The rule provides for removal to a 
third country only after the alien has been determined by an asylum 
officer to not have a credible fear of persecution or a reasonable 
possibility of persecution or torture due to the danger to the security 
of the United States bars, and only after the alien has had an 
opportunity for de novo review of that determination by an immigration 
judge. Thus, the alien's only available form of protection, should the 
alien be eligible, would be deferral of removal, which only protects 
the alien from removal to the particular country from which removal has 
been deferred. 8 CFR 208.17(b)(2). Thus, removal to a third country 
prior to a full adjudication of the deferral claim does not deprive the 
alien of protection that would be provided by deferral--removal to that 
particular country. Rather, it brings efficiency to the process by 
treating the alien as though he or she has received such protection 
without the need for a full adjudication of the deferral claim. Under 
this rule, DHS will provide notice to the alien of the prospective 
third country, and the alien will have an

[[Page 84185]]

opportunity to establish that he or she would be more likely than not 
to be tortured in such third country. Even the current deferral of 
removal regulations provide that an alien who is granted deferral be 
informed ``that removal has been deferred only to the country in which 
it has been determined that the alien is likely to be tortured, and 
that the alien may be removed at any time to another country where he 
or she is not likely to be tortured.'' 8 CFR 208.17(b)(2), 
1208.17(b)(2).
6. Other Issues Related to the Rule
1. Requests to Extend Comment Period
    Comment: Several commenters requested that the Departments extend 
the 30-day comment period, citing the APA, Executive Order 12866, and 
instances where rulemakings have been open longer than 60 days. Some 
commenters claimed that the rule is complex, sweeping, and that it 
would rewrite fundamental aspects of U.S. asylum law, arguing that the 
30-day comment period is therefore insufficient to analyze the impact 
of the proposed changes and receive proper input from key stakeholders 
such as public health and medical experts. Several other commenters 
argued that the 30-day comment period is particularly inadequate given 
the COVID-19 crisis, which had already taxed the resources and capacity 
of organizations. Multiple commenters stated that the comment period 
was inappropriate given the concurrent proposed rule Procedures for 
Asylum and Withholding of Removal; Credible Fear and Reasonable Fear 
Review, 85 FR 36264 (June 15, 2020) (``Global Asylum NPRM''), which 
closed for comments on July 15, 2020. Several commenters claimed that 
there was a lack of urgency in promulgating this final rule given that 
few asylum interviews are occurring because of the March 20, 2020 CDC 
order.\117\ One commenter asserted that asylees, lawful permanent 
residents, and U.S citizens who have family members with pending 
determinations did not provide comment on this rule due to fear of 
retaliation from the Administration and thus the comment period is 
missing critical stakeholder input.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \117\ Notice of Order Under Sections 362 and 365 of the Public 
Health Service Act Suspending Introduction of Certain Persons From 
Countries Where a Communicable Disease Exists, 85 FR 17060, 17067 
(Mar. 20, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Response: The Departments disagree that the comment period was 
insufficient and decline to extend it. The Departments also disagree 
with the commenters' characterizations of the rule as complex, 
sweeping, or rewriting fundamentals of asylum law. The rule is designed 
to be as narrow as the scope of a given public health emergency, and is 
only operable under a discrete set of circumstances during such an 
emergency. The rule merely clarifies that the Departments' 
understanding of the danger to the security of the United States bars 
to eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal encompasses public 
health concerns, restores prosecutorial discretion to DHS, and 
streamlines the process for screening for potential eligibility for 
deferral of removal under the CAT regulations. The Departments also 
disagree that the comment period should have been longer due to the 
Global Asylum NPRM. This rule is separate and distinct, dealing with a 
much more limited set of issues.
    The APA is silent as to the duration of the public comment period 
and does not establish a minimum duration.\118\ Executive Order 12866 
encourages, but does not require, agencies to provide at least 60 days 
for the public to comment on significant rules. Federal courts have 
presumed 30 days to be a reasonable comment period length. For example, 
the D.C. Circuit has stated that ``[w]hen substantial rule changes are 
proposed, a 30-day comment period is generally the shortest time period 
sufficient for interested persons to meaningfully review a proposed 
rule and provide informed comment.'' \119\ The Departments believe that 
the 32-day comment period for this rule provided an adequate 
opportunity for public input, and decline to extend the period. 
Contrary to commenters' claims that this rule lacks urgency, the 
duration of the comment period is a reflection of the urgency with 
which the Departments believe they must address public health concerns 
given the ongoing pandemic and risk of future pandemics.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \118\ 5 U.S.C. 553(c).
    \119\ Nat'l Lifeline Ass'n v. Fed. Commc'ns Comm'n, 921 F.3d 
1102, 1117 (D.C. Cir. 2019) (citing Petry v. Block, 737 F.2d 1193, 
1201 (D.C. Cir. 1984)).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The sufficiency of the 32-day comment period for this rule is 
supported by the over 5,000 public comments received. The public, 
including attorneys, advocacy groups, religious, community, and social 
organizations, law firms, federal, state and local entities and elected 
officials provided a great number of detailed and informative comments. 
Given the quantity and quality of the comments received in response to 
the proposed rule, and other publicly available information regarding 
the rule, the Departments believe that the 32-day comment period was 
sufficient. The Departments recognize that the comment period was open 
during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but disagrees that it should be 
extended on that basis. Over 5,000 comments were successfully submitted 
and accepted online, not requiring in-person transmission of comments 
or even use of the U.S. Postal Service.
    The Departments reject the assertion that some members of the 
public were unable to provide comments due to their immigration status. 
One commenter asserted, without evidence, that asylees, lawful 
permanent residents, and U.S citizens who have family members with 
pending determinations did not provide comment on this rule due to fear 
of retaliation from the Administration and thus the comment period is 
missing critical stakeholder input. The Departments solicited comments 
from all interested persons as part of this rulemaking. The Departments 
neither solicited nor required persons to provide information about 
their immigration status in order to submit a comment, and the 
Department would have no way of knowing the status of any commenter 
unless volunteered. In the NPRM, the Departments cautioned commenters 
that ``all comments received are considered part of the public record 
and made available for public inspection . . . . Such information 
includes personally identifiable information (such as a person's name, 
address, or any other data that might personally identify that 
individual) that the commenter voluntarily submits.'' \120\
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    \120\ Security Bars and Processing, 85 FR at 41201.
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2. Rulemaking Process/APA Concerns
    Comment: Approximately 20 submissions expressed concerns that the 
NPRM does not comply with the APA. Multiple commenters argued that it 
is arbitrary and capricious because it does not meet the Departments' 
statutory, non-refoulement, and constitutional mandates to protect 
asylum seekers' rights or because it raises the burden of proof on 
asylum; fails to consider other factors that could mitigate the risk of 
COVID-19 infection; uses COVID-19 as a pretext to exclude applicants 
from countries where COVID-19 is prevalent, but less prevalent than in 
the United States; fails to demonstrate that the Departments engaged in 
reasoned, data-driven decision making; and was written in a piecemeal 
and duplicative fashion, which demonstrates an intent to evade 
comprehensive evaluation and comment.

[[Page 84186]]

    One commenter stated that the timing of this rule merits very close 
scrutiny given the recent publication of the Global Asylum NPRM, 
asserting that this demonstrates apparent bad faith by attempting a 
``second bite at the apple'' and that the Departments' public health 
rationale should not be granted deference.
    A legal services provider claimed that the rule is arbitrary and 
capricious because it ``ignores the significant reliance interests of 
[the legal service provider] and organizations like it.'' Namely, the 
organization stated that it has developed processes and educational 
material for asylum seekers and for its staff and volunteers based on 
asylum law ``as it currently exists,'' and that it ``trains its staff, 
volunteers, and pro bono attorneys on asylum law using curricula that 
have been standardized and perfected.'' It argued that the rule ``would 
require [the organization] to expend significant resources to revise, 
reprint, and retrain all of this existing materials and procedures, to 
the detriment of [the organization] and the communities it serves.''
    Response: The Departments also disagree with commenters' claim that 
the Departments purposefully separated their asylum-related policy 
goals into separate regulations in order to prevent the public from 
being able to meaningfully review and provide comment. Each of the 
Departments' rules stand on their own, include explanations of their 
basis and purpose, and allow for public comment, as required by the 
APA.\121\
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    \121\ Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter & Paul Home v. 
Pennsylvania, 140 S. Ct. 2367, 2386 (2020) (explaining that the APA 
provides the ``maximum procedural requirements'' that an agency must 
follow in order to promulgate a rule).
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    The Departments also disagree that the promulgation of this rule is 
arbitrary and capricious or that it violates the APA. As discussed 
previously, the APA requires agencies to engage in ``reasoned decision 
making'' \122\ and directs that agency action be set aside if it is 
arbitrary or capricious, 5 U.S.C. 706(2)(A). However, this is a 
``narrow standard of review'' and ``a court is not to substitute its 
judgment for that of the agency,'' \123\ but is instead to assess only 
whether the decision was ``based on a consideration of the relevant 
factors and whether there has been a clear error of judgment.'' \124\ 
Arbitrary and capricious review is ``highly deferential, presuming the 
agency action to be valid.'' \125\ It is ``reasonable for the [agency] 
to rely on its experience'' to arrive at conclusions, even if those 
conclusions are not supported with ``empirical research.'' \126\ 
Moreover, the agency need only articulate ``a rational connection 
between the facts found and the choice made.'' \127\
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    \122\ Michigan v. EPA, 576 U.S. 743, 750 (2015), quoting 
Allentown Mack Sales & Service, Inc. v. NLRB, 522 U.S. 359 (1998).
    \123\ FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc., 556 U.S. 502, 513 
(2009).
    \124\ Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 
402, 416 (1971).
    \125\ Sacora, 628 F.3d at 1068.
    \126\ Id. at 1069.
    \127\ Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass'n of U.S., Inc. v. State Farm Mut. 
Auto Ins. Co., 463 U.S. 29, 43 (1983).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under this deferential standard, and contrary to commenters' 
claims, the Departments have provided reasoned explanations for the 
changes in this rule more than sufficient to satisfy the APA's 
procedural requirements. The NPRM and final rule describe each 
provision in detail and provides an explanation for each change from 
current law or from the NPRM. The Departments explained that these 
changes are intended to mitigate the risk of a dangerous communicable 
disease being brought to, or further spread within, the United States.
    The Departments disagree that the rule exceeds statutory authority. 
This rule clarifies that existing statutory limitations on asylum and 
withholding eligibility may include emergency public health concerns. 
This falls squarely within the Departments' statutory authority.
    The Departments also disagree that the rule raises the burden of 
proof on asylum seekers beyond the international standard. First, the 
rule continues to apply the statutory standard of credible fear of 
persecution, defined as a significant possibility that an alien could 
establish eligibility for asylum. Second, the ultimate standard for 
statutory withholding of removal and protection under the CAT 
regulations--intended by Congress to meet the United States' non-
refoulement obligations under the Refugee protocol and CAT--remains the 
same at ``more likely than not.''
    Contrary to commenters' assertions, the Departments did consider 
and implement other factors that could mitigate risk of COVID-19 
infection.
    The Departments also reject as unfounded the assertion that the 
rule uses COVID-19 as a pretext to exclude applicants from countries 
where COVID-19 is prevalent, but less prevalent than in the United 
States. The rule is not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is 
intended to allow the Departments to respond quickly and effectively to 
unknown future health emergencies that meet the criteria it defines. 
Additionally, the rule applies equally to all countries or regions 
outside the United States where a ``disease is prevalent or epidemic,'' 
but does not require that the disease be ``less prevalent'' in the 
United States at the time the determination is made. Due to 
inconsistencies in reporting standards, lack of reporting, or 
intentional misreporting, it can be difficult to gauge at any given 
time whether a disease is more prevalent than in the United States. 
Moreover, the Departments have a duty to ensure the security of the 
United States without regard to whether the pandemic is more prevalent 
or less prevalent elsewhere.
    Recently, the number of COVID-19 cases has been overwhelming in 
countries where a significant number of asylum seekers originate from 
or travel through. The vast majority of inadmissible aliens seeking 
asylum originate from or travel through areas where COVID-19 is 
widespread, such as Latin America. The World Bank recently noted that 
``Latin America and Caribbean is the region hardest hit by the COVID-19 
Pandemic'' \128\ and it was recently reported that ``Latin America and 
the Caribbean marked 10 million cases. . . and with more than 360,000 
deaths, the region is the worst hit in terms of fatalities, according 
to official figures.'' \129\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \128\ World Bank, Press Release: Latin America and the Caribbean 
Must Seek to Contain the Costs from COVID-19 While Waiting for a 
Vaccine, Oct. 9, 2020, available at https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/10/09/latin-america-caribbean-contain-costs-covid19.
    \129\ Abhaya Srivastava, India Infections Top Seven Million . . 
. , Int. Bus. Times, Oct. 11, 2020.
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    As of December 15, 2020, Mexico had 1,277,494 cumulative COVID-19 
cases, including 166,733 new cases in October, 182,705 new cases in 
November, and 115,967 new cases in December (as of December 15).\130\ 
Areas along the U.S. southwest border are also seeing a high number of 
positive COVID-19 cases. For example, in Sonora, Mexico, there have 
been 47,476 confirmed cases (and [3,759] deaths) as of December 15, 
2020, including 4,075 new cases in October, 5,373 new cases in 
November, and 2,090 new cases in December (as of December 15).).\131\
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    \130\ Government of Mexico, COVID-19 Tracking Map, Graph of 
Confirmed Cases, https://datos.covid-19.conacyt.mx/#DOView (last 
visited December 17, 2020).
    \131\ Government of Mexico, COVID-19 Tracking Map https://datos.covid-19.conacyt.mx/#COMNac and https://datos.covid-
19.conacyt.mx/fHDMap/(last visited December 17, 2020).
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    The Departments disagree that this rulemaking is piecemeal or 
duplicative, and reject the assertion that the NPRM was intended to 
evade comprehensive evaluation and comment, or that the

[[Page 84187]]

timing of this rulemaking in conjunction with the Global Asylum NPRM 
evidences bad faith. Though there is some overlap in function, these 
separate rulemakings had different goals and responded to separate 
emergencies. Namely, the Global Asylum NPRM sought to provide ``much-
needed guidance on the many critical, yet undefined, statutory terms 
related to asylum applications [in a manner that] not only improves the 
efficiency of the system as a whole, but allows adjudicators to focus 
resources more effectively on potentially meritorious claims rather 
than on meritless ones.'' \132\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \132\ Global Asylum Final Rule, 85 FR at 80284.
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    As discussed, the Security Bars NPRM sought to ensure the security 
of the United States during a pandemic. Further, the Covid-19 pandemic 
post-dates the Global Asylum NPRM. The Departments note that in 
November of 2019, the Global Asylum NPRM was listed in the Fall 2019 
Unified Agenda, approximately 2 months before the first reported cases 
of Covid-19 in the United States.\133\ Finally, as stated above, this 
final rule is narrowly tailored to apply under a discrete set of 
circumstances generally limited in duration, whereas the Global Asylum 
NPRM applied much more broadly and on a permanent basis (as does the 
Global Asylum Final Rule). The Departments provided more than 
sufficient notice of both rules, and the public has had ample 
opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \133\ CDC, Press Release: First Travel-related Case of 2019 
Novel Coronavirus Detected in United States (Jan 21, 2020), 
available at https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0121-novel-coronavirus-travel-case.html (last visited Nov. 12, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Departments disagree that this final rule is arbitrary and 
capricious or that it ``ignores the significant reliance interests of 
[the legal service provider] and organizations like it.'' Given the 
narrow application of this rule to public health emergencies involving 
communicable diseases that necessitate a response by the federal 
agencies with primary jurisdiction over our immigration system, and the 
infrequency of such responses in the past, it cannot be said that there 
is a longstanding prior policy that may have engendered serious 
reliance interests. When an agency changes course, it must ``be 
cognizant that longstanding policies may have `engendered serious 
reliance interests that must be taken into account.' '' \134\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \134\ Dept. of Homeland Sec. v. Regents of Univ. of Cal., 140 
S.Ct. 1891, 1913 (2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Departments 
did not have a policy in place to guide the immigration system's 
operations during public health emergencies involving communicable 
diseases, there are no reliance interests to consider. Rather, 
individuals or organizations will rely--during future public health 
emergencies--upon the steps the Government takes now. Given that the 
United States has significantly limited travel and admission during 
times of other emergencies, such as in response to national security 
threats from international terrorism,\135\ it is predictable that it 
would take similar, expected measures limiting travel and admission in 
response to a global pandemic.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \135\ See Proclamation No. 9645, Enhancing Vetting Capabilities 
and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States 
by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats, 82 FR 45161 (Sept. 24, 
2017).
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    The commenter asserts, in essence, that it relied on the agency's 
prior policy when it developed processes and educational material for 
asylum seekers and for its staff and volunteers based on asylum law 
``as it currently exists.'' It argued that the rule ``would require 
[it] to expend significant resources to revise, reprint, and retrain 
all of this existing materials and procedures, to the detriment of [the 
organization] and the communities it serves.'' However, the United 
States' asylum law is frequently in flux because it can be amended by 
statute, regulation, policy, adjudication and by ever-evolving case law 
in decisions issued by the Attorney General, the BIA, Circuit Courts of 
Appeals and by the U.S. Supreme Court. As just one example, as the 
Departments stated in Global Asylum NPRM, ``[t]he definition of 
`particular social group' has been the subject of considerable 
litigation and is a product of evolving case law, making it difficult 
for EOIR's immigration judges and Board members, as well as DHS asylum 
officers, to uniformly apply the framework.'' \136\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \136\ Global Asylum NPRM, 85 FR at 36278.
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    It is not reasonable for an organization to assume that asylum law 
will remain static and not change in the future when developing 
processes or education materials. The logical result of the commenter's 
argument would be that any law firm or legal aid organization with a 
specialized practice would have a legally recognized reliance interest 
in maintaining the status quo of the law that concerns their clients. 
While the Departments appreciate the efforts of legal service providers 
to assist and educate the public, the interests raised by the commenter 
are not those that may raise serious reliance interests under the 
APA.\137\
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    \137\ Some courts believe that such interests of organizational 
plaintiffs establish standing, but that is a separate matter. See 
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Trump, 950 F.3d 1242, 1265-67 (2020). 
Article III of the Constitution limits the federal judicial power to 
the adjudication of ``Cases'' and ``Controversies.'' U.S. CONST. 
art. III, sec. 2, cl. 1. This is effectuated through the doctrine of 
Article III standing. Spokeo v. Robins, 136 S. Ct. 1540, 1547 
(2016); Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman, 455 U.S. 363, 378-79 (1982). 
An organization can also have third-party standing. See Kowalksi v. 
Tesmer, 543 U.S. 125, 129-30 (2004).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Finally, to the extent that such organizations have a reliance 
interest based on their processes and educational materials, it is far 
outweighed by the clear imperative to prevent the entry into the United 
States, or the further spread within the country, of a deadly 
contagious disease.
Reconciliation With Procedures for Asylum and Withholding of Removal; 
Credible Fear and Reasonable Fear Review, 85 FR 36264 (July 15, 2020)
    Comment: Multiple commenters stated that this NPRM was not 
reconciled with the Global Asylum NPRM. Commenters argued that the 
Global Asylum NPRM proposed changes that were inconsistent with the 
changes outlined in the Security Bars and Processing NPRM. The 
commenters stated that the Security Bars NPRM acknowledged the conflict 
but did not indicate how the two rules would be reconciled and reasoned 
that without knowledge of how the rules would be reconciled; the public 
was not able to understand the full implications and adequately comment 
on the NPRM. Some commenters stated that the overlapping and inconstant 
language across the two notices of proposed rulemaking demonstrated 
resulted in a waste of government and public time and resources.
    Response: The Departments drafted the Security Bars NPRM to reflect 
the regulatory framework at the time of publication. The Global Asylum 
Final Rule has since been promulgated. 85 FR 80274 (December 11, 2020). 
The Security Bars and Processing Final Rule reflects the changes made 
to the regulatory framework by the Global Asylum Final Rule, except to 
the extent that the Security Bars Final Rule further modifies that 
framework. Certain of the provisions of the Security Bars NPRM have 
been rendered moot by the Global Asylum Final Rule. For instance, the 
Global Asylum Final Rule provided that all mandatory bars to 
eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal shall be applied at 
the credible fear stage, so there is no longer a need to

[[Page 84188]]

take that action specifically for the danger to the security of the 
United States eligibility bar. As to the provisions of the Security 
Bars NPRM that were not implemented by the Global Asylum Final Rule, 
the Security Bars Final Rule makes appropriate modifications to the 
post-Global Asylum regulatory framework to implement the provisions (as 
modified from the NPRM in certain instances).
    Additionally, as discussed, the Global Asylum Final Rule provided 
that aliens who establish a credible fear of persecution, a reasonable 
possibility of persecution, or a reasonable possibility of torture and 
accordingly receive a positive fear determination will appear before an 
immigration judge for ``asylum-and-withholding-only'' proceedings under 
8 CFR 208.2(c)(1) and 8 CFR 1208.2(c)(1). Aliens receiving positive 
fear determinations under the Security Bars Final Rule will be placed 
in such asylum-and-withholding only proceedings rather than section 240 
proceedings (as they would have under the NPRM), unless they are 
removed to third countries.
3. Severability
    Comment: One commenter appreciated the ``spirit'' of the 
Departments' proposed severability clause, but stated that the clause 
was unnecessary because, in the commenter's view, none of the rule's 
provisions should be adopted.
    Response: The relevant severability clause was added by the Global 
Asylum Final Rule.\138\ A severability clause is a standard legal 
provision that allows Congress and the Executive Branch to sever 
certain provisions of a law or rule, if a court finds that they are 
unconstitutional or unlawful, without nullifying the entire law or 
rule. Those provisions that are unaffected by a legal ruling can be 
implemented by an agency without requiring a new round of rulemaking 
simply to effectuate provisions that are not subject to a court ruling. 
The Departments believe that each of the provisions in the final rule 
function sensibly independently of the other provisions, and thus, to 
protect the rule's goals, the provisions are severable so that, if 
necessary, the regulations can continue to function without a stricken 
provision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \138\ 85 FR at 80284.
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4. Effective Date
    Comment: A number of submissions expressed concern about the rule's 
effective date. One commenter stated that the NPRM did not indicate 
whether it would apply to those who submitted asylum applications 
before its provisions became effective, and argued that doing so would 
violate the well-settled presumption against retroactivity and have 
serious impacts for asylum seekers. The commenter also expressed 
concern that retroactive application would result in removal to a third 
country for those who have previously filed for CAT protection based on 
existing laws. Another commenter stated that applying the rule to those 
with pending applications would unduly harm thousands of asylum 
seekers, especially pro se applicants, by creating waste and 
inefficiencies and by increasing asylum adjudication backlogs. Both 
commenters asserted that retroactive application of law is permitted 
only where expressly permitted by Congress, which they argue does not 
apply here.
    Response: The Departments disagree that this rule is being applied 
retroactively. Contrary to the commenters' claims, and as previously 
stated in the NPRM, the amendments made by this proposed rule would 
apply to aliens who enter the United States after the effective date, 
except that the amendments would not apply to aliens who had, before 
the date of an applicable joint Secretary of Homeland Security and 
Attorney General designation of an area or areas of the world as to 
which it is necessary for the public health that certain aliens who 
were present there be regarded as a danger to the security of the 
United States, (1) filed asylum and withholding applications, or (2) 
indicated a fear of return in expedited removal proceedings.'' The 
final rule retains this prospective application.
Authority of Acting Secretary
    Comment: Several commenters commented that Chad Wolf, the Acting 
Secretary of Homeland Security, is serving in violation of the Federal 
Vacancies Reform Act (``FVRA'') and lacked the authority to issue the 
NPRM. A legal services provider and individual made the same argument 
with respect to Chad Mizelle, the Senior Official Performing the Duties 
of the General Counsel of DHS. An attorney quoted FVRA and commented 
that under any timeline Acting Secretary Wolf's tenure has exceeded the 
210-day limit in FVRA, and that no exception to the 210-limit applies 
here. The commenter said that ignoring FVRA is no ``mere 
technicality,'' and that doing so violates the constitutional principal 
that the President must appoint principal officers with the advice and 
consent of the Senate.
    A legal services provider presented a timeline of the line of 
succession of Acting Secretaries, arguing that Christopher Krebs, 
Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, 
rather than Kevin McAleenan, should have succeeded Ms. Nielsen as 
Acting Secretary. The commenter also argued that Mr. McAleenan exceeded 
the 210-day limit provided by the FVRA, and thus that Mr. Wolf has no 
valid claim to the office of Acting Secretary.
    Response: As indicated in the proposed rule at section VI. H, Chad 
Wolf, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, reviewed and approved 
the proposed rule and delegated the signature authority to Mr. Mizelle. 
Secretary Wolf is validly acting as Secretary of Homeland Security. On 
April 9, 2019, then-Secretary Nielsen, who was Senate confirmed, used 
the authority provided by 6 U.S.C. 113(g)(2) to establish the order of 
succession for the Secretary of Homeland Security. This change to the 
order of succession applied to any vacancy. This exercise of the 
authority to establish an order of succession for DHS pursuant to 6 
U.S.C. 113(g)(2) superseded the FVRA and the order of succession found 
in Executive Order 13753, 81 FR 90667 (Dec. 9, 2016). As a result of 
this change, and pursuant to 6 U.S.C. 113(g)(2), Kevin K. McAleenan, 
who was Senate-confirmed as the Commissioner of CBP, was the next 
successor and served as Acting Secretary without time limitation. 
Acting Secretary McAleenan subsequently amended the Secretary's order 
of succession pursuant to 6 U.S.C. 113(g)(2), placing the Under 
Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans position third in the order 
of succession, below the positions of the Deputy Secretary and Under 
Secretary for Management. Because the Deputy Secretary and Under 
Secretary for Management positions were vacant when Mr. McAleenan 
resigned, Mr. Wolf, as the Senate-confirmed Under Secretary for 
Strategy, Policy, and Plans, was the next successor and began serving 
as the Acting Secretary.
    Further, because he has been serving as the Acting Secretary 
pursuant to an order of succession established under 6 U.S.C. 
113(g)(2), the FVRA's prohibition on a nominee's acting service while 
his or her nomination is pending does not apply, and Mr. Wolf remains 
the Acting Secretary notwithstanding President Trump's September 10 
transmission to the Senate of Mr. Wolf's nomination to serve as DHS 
Secretary. Compare 6 U.S.C. 113(a)(1)(A) (cross-referencing the FVRA 
without the ``notwithstanding'' caveat), with id.

[[Page 84189]]

113(g)(1)-(2) (noting the FVRA provisions and specifying, in contrast, 
that section 113(g) provides for acting secretary service 
``notwithstanding'' those provisions); see also 5 U.S.C. 3345(b)(1)(B) 
(restricting acting officer service under section 3345(a), in 
particular, by an official whose nomination has been submitted to the 
Senate for permanent service in that position).
    That said, there have been recent challenges to whether Mr. Wolf's 
service is invalid, resting on the erroneous contention that the orders 
of succession issued by former Secretary Nielsen and former Acting 
Secretary McAleenan were invalid. The Departments believe those 
challenges are not based on an accurate view of the law. But even if 
those contentions are legally correct--meaning that neither former 
Secretary Nielsen nor former Acting Secretary McAleenan issued a valid 
order of succession--under 6 U.S.C. 113(g)(2)--then the FVRA would have 
applied, and Executive Order 13753 would have governed the order of 
succession for the Secretary of Homeland Security from the date of 
former Secretary Nielsen's resignation.
    The FVRA provides an alternative basis for an official to exercise 
the functions and duties of the Secretary temporarily in an acting 
capacity. In that alternate scenario, under the authority of the FVRA, 
Mr. Wolf would have been ineligible to serve as the Acting Secretary of 
DHS after his nomination was submitted to the Senate, 5 U.S.C. 
3345(b)(1)(B), and Peter Gaynor, the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (``FEMA''), would have--by operation of 
Executive Order 13753--become eligible to exercise the functions and 
duties of the Secretary temporarily in an acting capacity. This is 
because Executive Order 13753 pre-established the President's 
succession order for DHS when the FVRA applies. Mr. Gaynor would have 
been the most senior official eligible to exercise the functions and 
duties of the Secretary under that succession order, and thus would 
have become the official eligible to act as Secretary once Mr. Wolf's 
nomination was submitted to the Senate. 5 U.S.C. 3346(a)(2). Then, in 
this alternate scenario in which, as assumed above, there was no valid 
succession order under 6 U.S.C. 113(g)(2), the submission of Mr. Wolf's 
nomination to the Senate would have restarted the FVRA's time limits. 5 
U.S.C. 3346(a)(2).
    Out of an abundance of caution, and to minimize any disruption to 
DHS and to the Administration's goal of maintaining homeland security, 
on November 14, 2020, with Mr. Wolf's nomination still pending in the 
Senate, Mr. Gaynor exercised the authority of Acting Secretary that he 
would have had (in the absence of any governing succession order under 
6 U.S.C. 113(g)(2)) to designate a new order of succession under 6 
U.S.C. 113(g)(2) (the ``Gaynor Order'').\139\ In particular, Mr. Gaynor 
issued an order of succession with the same ordering of positions 
listed in former Acting Secretary McAleenan's November 2019 order. The 
Gaynor Order thus placed the Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and 
Plans above the FEMA Administrator in the order of succession. Once the 
Gaynor Order was executed, it superseded any authority Mr. Gaynor may 
have had under the FVRA and confirmed Mr. Wolf's authority to continue 
to serve as the Acting Secretary. Hence, regardless of whether Mr. Wolf 
already possessed authority pursuant to the November 8, 2019, order of 
succession effectuated by former Acting Secretary McAleenan (as the 
Departments have previously concluded), the Gaynor Order provides an 
alternative basis for concluding that Mr. Wolf currently serves as the 
Acting Secretary.\140\
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    \139\ Mr. Gaynor signed an order that established an identical 
order of succession on September 10, 2020, the day Mr. Wolf's 
nomination was submitted, but it appears he signed that order before 
the nomination was received by the Senate. To resolve any concern 
that his September 10 order was ineffective, Mr. Gaynor signed a new 
order on November 14, 2020. Prior to Mr. Gaynor's new order, the 
U.S. District Court for the District of New York issued an opinion 
concluding that Mr. Gaynor did not have authority to act as 
Secretary, relying in part on the fact that DHS did not notify 
Congress of Administrator Gaynor's service, as required under 5 
U.S.C. 3349(a). Batalla Vidal v. Wolf, No. 16CV4756NGGVMS, 2020 WL 
6695076, at *9 (E.D.N.Y. Nov. 14, 2020). The Departments disagree 
that the FVRA's notice requirement affects the validity of an acting 
officer's service; nowhere does section 3349 indicate that agency 
reporting obligations are tied to an acting officer's ability to 
serve.
    \140\ On October 9, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the 
District of Columbia issued an opinion indicating that it is likely 
that section 113(g)(2) orders can be issued by only Senate-confirmed 
secretaries of DHS and, thus, that Mr. Gaynor likely had no 
authority to issue a section 113(g)(2) succession order. Nw. 
Immigrant Rights Project v. United States Citizenship & Immigration 
Servs., No. CV 19-3283 (RDM), 2020 WL 5995206, at *24 (D.D.C. Oct. 
8, 2020). This decision is incorrect because the authority in 
section 113(g)(2) allows ``the Secretary'' to designate an order of 
succession, 6 U.S.C. 113(g)(2), and an ``acting officer is vested 
with the same authority that could be exercised by the officer for 
whom he acts.'' In re Grand Jury Investigation, 916 F.3d 1047, 1055 
(D.C. Cir. 2019). The Acting Secretary of DHS is accordingly 
empowered to exercise the authority of ``the Secretary'' of DHS to 
``designate [an] order of succession.'' 6 U.S.C. 113(g)(2). In 
addition, this is the only district court opinion to have reached 
such a conclusion about the authority of the Acting Secretary, and 
the Departments are contesting that determination.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On November 16, 2020, Acting Secretary Wolf ratified any and all 
actions involving delegable duties that he took between November 13, 
2019, through November 16, 2020, including the NPRM that is the subject 
of this rulemaking.
    Under section 103(a)(1) of the Act, 8 U.S.C. 1103(a)(1), the 
Secretary is charged with the administration and enforcement of the INA 
and all other immigration laws (except for the powers, functions, and 
duties of the President, the Attorney General, and certain consular, 
diplomatic, and Department of State officials). The Secretary is also 
authorized to delegate his or her authority to any officer or employee 
of the agency and to designate other officers of the Department to 
serve as Acting Secretary. INA 103, 8 U.S.C. 1103, and 6 U.S.C. 
113(g)(2). The Homeland Security Act further provides that every 
officer of the Department ``shall perform the functions specified by 
law for the official's office or prescribed by the Secretary.'' 6 
U.S.C. 113(f). Thus, the designation of the signature authority from 
Acting Secretary Wolf to Mr. Mizelle is validly within the Acting 
Secretary's authority.

VII. Provisions of the Final Rule

    The Departments have considered and responded to the comments 
received in response to the proposed rule. The Departments are now 
issuing this final rule to finalize the NPRM.
    This final rule makes the following changes to the regulatory 
provisions in the proposed rule, some of which were noted by 
commenters, and to certain regulatory provisions not addressed in the 
proposed rule as necessitated by the intervening promulgation of the 
Global Asylum Final Rule.
1. 208.13
    As discussed earlier, the final rule clarifies that the bar it 
establishes to asylum eligibility (implementing the Departments' 
understanding of the INA's danger to the security of the United States 
bars) is ``categorical'' in the following manner.
    First, if a communicable disease has triggered an ongoing 
declaration of a public health emergency under Federal law, such as 
under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 247d, or 
section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3, 
then an alien is ineligible for asylum on the basis of there being 
reasonable grounds for regarding the alien as a danger to the security 
of the United States if the alien
    (A) exhibits symptoms indicating that he or she is afflicted with 
the disease,

[[Page 84190]]

per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney General, as 
appropriate, or
    (B) has come into contact with the disease within the number of 
days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period, 
per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney General, as 
appropriate.
    Second, if, regarding a communicable disease of public health 
significance as defined at 42 CFR 34.2(b), the Secretary and the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, have jointly
    (A) Determined that the physical presence in the United States of 
aliens who are coming from a country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or have embarked at a place or 
places, where such disease is prevalent or epidemic (or had come from 
that country or countries (or one or more subdivisions or regions 
thereof), or had embarked at that place or places, during a period in 
which the disease was prevalent or epidemic there) would cause a danger 
to the public health in the United States, and
    (B) Designated the foreign country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or place or places, and the period of 
time or circumstances under which they jointly deem it necessary for 
the public health that aliens or classes of aliens described in 
[paragraph] (A) who are still within the number of days equivalent to 
the longest known incubation and contagion period for the disease be 
regarded as a danger to the security of the United States, including 
any relevant exceptions as appropriate,
    Then, an alien or class of aliens are ineligible for asylum on the 
basis of there being reasonable grounds for regarding the alien or 
class of aliens as a danger to the security of the United States if the 
alien or class of aliens are described in (A) and are regarded as a 
danger to the security of the United States as provided for in (B).
    Finally, the rule uses the more precise term ``communicable'' 
disease'' rather than ``communicable or infectious'' disease.\141\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \141\ See footnote 1. The Departments also make this change 
elsewhere to the regulatory text in the NPRM.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. 208.16(d)(2)
    Also as discussed earlier, the final rule clarifies that the bar it 
establishes to eligibility for withholding of removal is 
``categorical'' in the following manner.
    First, if a communicable disease has triggered an ongoing 
declaration of a public health emergency under Federal law, such as 
under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 247d, or 
section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3, 
then an alien is ineligible for withholding of removal on the basis of 
there being reasonable grounds for regarding the alien as a danger to 
the security of the United States if the alien
    (A) exhibits symptoms indicating that he or she is afflicted with 
the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate, or
    (B) has come into contact with the disease within the number of 
days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period, 
per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney General, as 
appropriate.
    Second, if, regarding a communicable disease of public health 
significance as defined at 42 CFR 34.2(b), the Secretary and the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, have jointly
    (A) Determined that the physical presence in the United States of 
aliens who are coming from a country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or have embarked at a place or 
places, where such disease is prevalent or epidemic (or had come from 
that country or countries (or one or more subdivisions or regions 
thereof), or had embarked at that place or places, during a period in 
which the disease was prevalent or epidemic there) would cause a danger 
to the public health in the United States, and
    (B) Designated the foreign country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or place or places, and the period of 
time or circumstances under which they jointly deem it necessary for 
the public health that aliens or classes of aliens described in 
[paragraph] (A) who are still within the number of days equivalent to 
the longest known incubation and contagion period for the disease be 
regarded as a danger to the security of the United States, including 
any relevant exceptions as appropriate,
    Then, an alien or class of aliens are ineligible for withholding of 
removal on the basis of there being reasonable grounds for regarding 
the alien or class of aliens as a danger to the security of the United 
States if the alien or class of aliens are described in (A) and are 
regarded as a danger to the security of the United States as provided 
for in (B).
3. 208.16(f)
    As discussed, the Departments include language clarifying that 
aliens must be notified of the identity of a prospective third country 
of removal.
4. 208.30(e)(1)
    As the Departments explained earlier, we acknowledge the ambiguity 
that may have been created from the proposed amendment to section 
208.30(e)(1). The proposed language was simply designed to clarify that 
when an asylum officer creates a written record of his or her 
determination following a credible fear interview, it should, as 
applicable, include a written record of their determination as to 
whether the alien has demonstrated that it is more likely than not that 
he or she would be tortured in the country of removal. The Departments 
have revised the language of the proposed amendment to section 
208.30(e)(1) (now found at 208.30(e)(4) following the promulgation of 
the Global Asylum Final Rule) to make it clearer that the written 
record of determination should include, as applicable, whether the 
alien has established that it is more likely than not that he or she 
would be tortured in the prospective country of removal.
5. 208.30(e)(5)(i)
    First, the final rule places the contents of 208.30(e)(5)(i)(B) 
into 208.30(e)(5)(iv) to reflect the fact that pursuant to the Global 
Asylum Final Rule, all the mandatory bars to eligibility for asylum and 
withholding of removal apply at the credible fear stage.
    Second, under the NPRM, the introductory text to 208.30(e)(5)(i)(B) 
discussed the situation where an alien would be able to establish a 
credible fear of persecution but for the fact that he or she was 
subject to the mandatory bars to eligibility for asylum under section 
208(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Act and to withholding of removal under section 
241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act, but nevertheless establishes that it is 
more likely than not that he or she would be tortured in the 
prospective country of removal. However, 208.30(e)(5)(i)(B)(3) 
discussed the opposite situation, where an alien fails to establish 
that it is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured in the 
prospective country of removal. Section 208.30(e)(5)(iv)(A) as 
restructured in the final rule eliminates this awkward construction.
    Third, as the Department explained earlier, the final rule strikes 
the phrase ``affirmatively establish'', and replaces it with 
``establish'', in the context of describing what an alien needs to do 
to demonstrate that he or she is more likely than not to be tortured in 
a prospective country of removal during a screening for potential 
eligibility for deferral of removal. The adverb

[[Page 84191]]

``affirmatively'' was included in the NPRM to make clear that an alien 
has the burden of proof to establish that he or she would be more 
likely than not to be tortured in a prospective third country of 
removal. As ``affirmatively'' may cause confusion and is not necessary 
to clarify the burden of proof, which clearly rests with the alien, the 
final rule deletes the word ``affirmatively'' from the regulatory text 
in the final rule.
    Fourth, the Departments agree that an alien should be informed of 
the identity of a prospective third country of removal, provided with 
an opportunity to raise a fear of torture if removed to that country, 
and to have that fear assessed to determine whether he or she has 
established that they are more likely than not to be tortured in that 
third country of removal. That was always the Departments' intent, and 
the Departments accordingly include language in the final rule making 
it clear.
6. 208.30(e)(5)(iii)
    As mentioned earlier, the Departments recently promulgated the 
Third-Country Transit Final Rule and the Global Asylum Final Rule. As 
these rules supersede the Third-Country Transit IFR, the final rule 
modifies the NPRM's proposed changes to the Third-Country Transit IFR's 
regulatory text to reflect the now-operative text. Also, the final rule 
deletes the adverb ``affirmatively'' as in 208.30(e)(5)(iv).
    As an alien typically does not formally request withholding of 
removal in the context of expedited removal proceedings, the rule also 
clarifies that aliens should be advised of the possibility of being 
removed to a third country at the time they are determined to be 
subject to the mandatory bar to eligibility for withholding of removal 
under section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act and under the regulations 
issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against 
Torture, and clarifies that such aliens should be given the opportunity 
to proceed to removal pursuant to section 241(b) of the Act.
    Finally, the language in the NPRM relied on the definition of a 
``reasonable fear of persecution'' found at 8 CFR 208.31(c), which did 
not require an alien to demonstrate, in order to establish a reasonable 
fear, that he or she was not subject to the bars to eligibility for 
withholding of removal contained in section 241(b)(3)(B) of the INA, 8 
U.S.C. 1231(b)(3)(B). However, the final rule relies on the definition 
of a ``reasonable possibility of persecution'', as added by the Global 
Asylum Final Rule. An alien is required to demonstrate, in order to 
establish a reasonable possibility of persecution, that he or she is 
not subject to these bars to eligibility for withholding of removal. 8 
CFR 208.30(e)(2). The final rule makes conforming changes reflecting 
this fact.
7. 208.30(e)(5)(iv)
    As mentioned, the final rule places the contents of 
208.30(e)(5)(i)(B) into 208.30(e)(5)(iv) to reflect the fact that 
pursuant to the Global Asylum Final Rule, all the mandatory bars to 
eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal apply at the credible 
fear stage.
    As mentioned above, as an alien typically does not formally request 
withholding of removal in the context of expedited removal proceedings, 
the rule clarifies that aliens should be advised of the possibility of 
being removed to a third country at the time they are determined to be 
subject to the mandatory bar to eligibility for withholding of removal 
under section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act and under the regulations 
issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against 
Torture, and clarifies that such aliens should be given the opportunity 
to proceed to removal pursuant to section 241(b) of the Act.
    Finally, as the Departments noted earlier, the utilization of the 
``more likely than not'' standard in deferral screenings only applies 
to aliens determined to be ineligible for asylum and withholding of 
removal pursuant to the danger to the security of the United States 
eligibility bars, or ineligible for asylum pursuant to the Third-
Country Transit Final Rule. Aliens determined by asylum officers to be 
ineligible for asylum or withholding pursuant to the other mandatory 
bars will continue to be screened for deferral of removal under the 
reasonable possibility of torture standard, as provided by the Global 
Asylum Final Rule. Thus, for aliens determined to be ineligible for 
asylum and withholding of removal pursuant to the danger to the 
security of the United States eligibility bars, or ineligible for 
asylum pursuant to the Third-Country Transit Final Rule, immigration 
judges will review the asylum officers' determinations on a de novo 
basis as to whether aliens have established they are more likely than 
not to be tortured, just as in reviewing credible fear of persecution 
and reasonable possibility of persecution and torture determinations.
8. 208.30(f)
    The final rule makes a clarifying change to reflect the new ``more 
likely than not'' screening standard for potential eligibility for 
deferral of removal.
    As the Departments noted earlier, the restoration of DHS's 
discretionary ability to remove certain aliens to third countries only 
applies to aliens determined to be ineligible for asylum and 
withholding of removal pursuant to the danger to the security of the 
United States eligibility bars, or ineligible for asylum pursuant to 
the Third-Country Transit Final Rule. Aliens determined by asylum 
officers to be ineligible for asylum or withholding pursuant to the 
other mandatory bars will continue to be screened for deferral of 
removal under the reasonable possibility of torture standard, as 
provided by the Global Asylum Final Rule, and placed in immigration 
court for asylum-and-withholding-only removal proceedings should they 
establish such a reasonable possibility. Aliens will not be removed to 
a third country without having first been provided an opportunity to 
demonstrate that they are more likely than not to be tortured in that 
country.
9. 208.30(g)
    The final rule makes a clarifying change to reflect the new ``more 
likely than not'' screening standard for potential eligibility for 
deferral of removal.
10. 235.6
    The final rule makes a clarifying change to reflect the new 
screening standard for potential eligibility for deferral of removal.
11. 1003.42
    The final rule makes a clarifying change to reflect the new 
screening standard for potential eligibility for deferral of removal.
12. 1208.13
    The final rule makes changes analogous to those made to 208.13.
13. 1208.16
    The final rule makes changes analogous to those made to 208.16.
14. 1208.16(f)
    The final rule makes changes analogous to those made to 208.16(f). 
As the Departments noted earlier, the restoration of DHS's 
discretionary ability to remove certain aliens to third countries only 
applies to aliens determined to be ineligible for asylum and 
withholding of removal pursuant to the danger to the security of the 
United

[[Page 84192]]

States eligibility bars (or ineligible for asylum pursuant to the 
Third-Country Transit Final Rule). Aliens determined by asylum officers 
to be ineligible for asylum or withholding pursuant to the other 
mandatory bars will continue to be screened for deferral of removal 
under the reasonable possibility of torture standard, as provided by 
the Global Asylum Final Rule, and placed in immigration court for 
asylum-and-withholding-only removal proceedings should they establish 
such a reasonable possibility. Aliens will not be removed to a third 
country without having first been provided an opportunity to 
demonstrate that they are more likely than not to be tortured in that 
country.
15. 1208.30(g)
    The final rule makes clarifying changes to reflect the new 
screening standard for potential eligibility for deferral of removal 
and the ability of DHS to exercise its prosecutorial discretion to 
remove certain aliens to third countries.
    As the Departments noted earlier, the utilization of the ``more 
likely than not'' standard in deferral screenings only applies to 
aliens determined to be ineligible for asylum and withholding of 
removal pursuant to the danger to the security of the United States 
eligibility bars (or ineligible for asylum pursuant to the Third-
Country Transit Final Rule). Aliens determined by asylum officers to be 
ineligible for asylum or withholding of removal pursuant to the other 
mandatory bars will continue to be screened for deferral of removal 
under the reasonable possibility of torture standard, as provided by 
the Global Asylum Final Rule.
16. 1235.6
    The final rule makes a clarifying change to reflect the new 
screening standard for potential eligibility for deferral of removal.

VIII. Regulatory Requirements

A. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Departments have reviewed this rule in accordance with the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., and have determined 
that this rule will not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. The rule does not regulate 
``small entities'' as that term is defined in 5 U.S.C. 601(6). Only 
individuals, rather than entities, are eligible to apply for asylum and 
related forms of relief, and only individuals are placed in immigration 
proceedings.

B. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

    This rule will not result in the expenditure by State, local, and 
Tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100 
million or more in any one year, and it will not significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments. Therefore, no actions are deemed 
necessary under the provisions of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 
1995.

C. Congressional Review Act

    This rule is not a major rule as defined by section 804 of the 
Congressional Review Act. 5 U.S.C. 804. This rule will not result in an 
annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; a major increase 
in costs or prices; or significant adverse effects on competition, 
employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or on the ability of 
United States-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based 
enterprises in domestic and export markets.

D. Executive Order 12866, Executive Order 13563, and Executive Order 
13771

    This rule amends existing regulations to clarify that the statutory 
``danger to the security of the United States'' bars to eligibility for 
asylum and withholding of removal under INA sections 208 and 241 and 8 
CFR 208.13 and 1208.13 and 8 CFR 208.16 and 1208.16, apply in certain 
contexts involving public health crises caused by communicable diseases 
so that aliens can be expeditiously removed, as appropriate.
    The rule further allows DHS to exercise its prosecutorial 
discretion regarding how to process individuals subject to expedited 
removal who are determined to be ineligible for asylum and withholding 
of removal in the United States on certain grounds, including being 
reasonably regarded as a danger to the security of the United States, 
but who nevertheless establish that it is more likely than not that 
they will be tortured in the prospective country of removal. It 
provides DHS with the option to either place such aliens into asylum 
and withholding only proceedings, or remove them to countries with 
respect to which the aliens have not established that it is more likely 
than not that they would be tortured. Finally, the rule modifies the 
process for evaluating the eligibility for deferral of removal of 
aliens who are ineligible for withholding of removal because they are 
reasonably regarded as or believed to be a danger to the security of 
the United States.
    In some cases, asylum officers and immigration judges will need to 
spend additional time during the credible fear process to determine 
whether an alien is ineligible for asylum or withholding of removal 
based on being reasonably regarded as a danger to the security of the 
United States and whether an alien is more likely than not to be 
tortured in a prospective country of removal. However, the overall 
impact on the time spent making (and, in the case of immigration 
judges, reviewing) screening determinations will be minimal. 
Additionally, the Departments do not expect the changes to increase the 
adjudication time for immigration court proceedings. The Departments 
note that the changes may result in fewer positive credible fear 
determinations and fewer asylum and withholding and deferral of removal 
grants during periods of public health crises, but will have no effect 
at times public health conditions do not trigger a security bar 
designation under this rule.
    Because cases are inherently fact-specific, and because there may 
be multiple bases for denying relief or protection, neither DOJ nor DHS 
can quantify precisely the expected decrease in positive credible fear 
determinations and grants of relief and protection. The full extent of 
the impacts on this population is unclear and will depend on the 
specific circumstances and personal characteristics of each alien, and 
neither DOJ nor DHS collects such data at such a level of granularity. 
Finally, the changes may also result in fewer aliens being placed in 
asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings to the extent that DHS 
exercises its discretion to remove aliens to third countries. However, 
as these will be discretionary decisions, it is not possible to 
quantify the reduction.
    This rule is a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 
12866, though not an economically significant regulatory action. 
Accordingly, the Office of Management and Budget has reviewed this 
regulation.

E. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

    This rule will not have substantial direct effects on the States, 
on the relationship between the National Government and the States, or 
on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various 
levels of government. Therefore, in accordance with section 6 of 
Executive Order 13132, the Departments believe that this rule will not 
have sufficient federalism implications to warrant the

[[Page 84193]]

preparation of a federalism summary impact statement.

F. Executive Order 12988 (Civil Justice Reform)

    This rule meets the applicable standards set forth in section 3(a) 
and 3(b)(2) of Executive Order 12988.

G. Paperwork Reduction Act

    This rule does not create new, or revisions to existing, 
``collection[s] of information'' as that term is defined under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 
35, and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320.

H. Signature for DHS

    The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad F. Wolf, having 
reviewed and approved this document, is delegating the authority to 
electronically sign this document to Chad R. Mizelle, who is the Senior 
Official Performing the Duties of the General Counsel for DHS, for 
purposes of publication in the Federal Register.

List of Subjects

8 CFR Part 208

    Administrative practice and procedure, Aliens, Immigration, 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

8 CFR Part 235

    Inspection of Persons Applying for Admission.

8 CFR Part 1003

    Executive Office for Immigration Review.

8 CFR Part 1208

    Administrative practice and procedure, Aliens, Immigration, 
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

8 CFR Part 1235

    Inspection of Persons Applying for Admission.

Regulatory Amendments

Department of Homeland Security

    Accordingly, for the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Acting 
Secretary of Homeland Security amends 8 CFR parts 208 and 235 as 
follows:

PART 208--PROCEDURES FOR ASYLUM AND WITHHOLDING OF REMOVAL

0
1. The authority citation for part 208 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, 1158, 1226, 1252, 1282; Title 
VII of Public Law 110-229; 8 CFR part 2; Pub. L. 115-218.


0
2. Amend Sec.  208.13 by adding paragraph (c)(10) to read as follows:


Sec.  208.13   Establishing asylum eligibility.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *
    (10) Aliens who pose a danger to the security of the United 
States--(i) Public health emergencies. If a communicable disease has 
triggered an ongoing declaration of a public health emergency under 
Federal law, such as under section 319 of the Public Health Service 
Act, 42 U.S.C. 247d, or section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 
Act, 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3, then an alien is ineligible for asylum under 
section 208 of the Act on the basis of there being reasonable grounds 
for regarding the alien as a danger to the security of the United 
States under section 208(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Act if the alien:
    (A) Exhibits symptoms indicating that he or she is afflicted with 
the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate, or
    (B) Has come into contact with the disease within the number of 
days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period 
for the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate.
    (ii) Danger to the public health caused by an epidemic outside of 
the United States. If, regarding a communicable disease of public 
health significance as defined at 42 CFR 34.2(b), the Secretary and the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, have jointly--
    (A) Determined that the physical presence in the United States of 
aliens who are coming from a country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or have embarked at a place or 
places, where such disease is prevalent or epidemic (or had come from 
that country or countries (or one or more subdivisions or regions 
thereof), or had embarked at that place or places, during a period in 
which the disease was prevalent or epidemic there) would cause a danger 
to the public health in the United States; and
    (B) Designated the foreign country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or place or places, and the period of 
time or circumstances under which they jointly deem it necessary for 
the public health that aliens or classes of aliens described in 
paragraph (c)(10)(ii)(A) of this section who are still within the 
number of days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion 
period for the disease be regarded as a danger to the security of the 
United States under section 208(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Act, including any 
relevant exceptions as appropriate, then--
    (C) An alien or class of aliens are ineligible for asylum under 
section 208 of the Act on the basis of there being reasonable grounds 
for regarding the alien or class of aliens as a danger to the security 
of the United States under section 208(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Act if the 
alien or class of aliens are described in (c)(10)(ii)(A) of this 
section and are regarded as a danger to the security of the United 
States as provided for in paragraph (c)(10)(ii)(B) of this section.
    (iii) The grounds for mandatory denial described in paragraphs 
(c)(10)(i) and (ii) of this section shall not apply to an alien who is 
applying for asylum or withholding of removal in the United States upon 
return from Canada to the United States and pursuant to the Agreement 
Between the Government of the United States and the Government of 
Canada for Cooperation in the Examination of Refugee Status Claims from 
Nationals of Third Countries.

0
3. Amend Sec.  208.16 by revising paragraphs (d)(2) and (f) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  208.16   Withholding of removal under section 241(b)(3)(B) of the 
Act and withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture.

* * * * *
    (d) * * *
    (2) Mandatory denials--(i) In general. Except as provided in 
paragraph (d)(3) of this section, an application for withholding of 
removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act or under the regulations 
issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against 
Torture shall be denied if the applicant falls within section 
241(b)(3)(B) of the Act or, for applications for withholding of 
deportation adjudicated in proceedings commenced prior to April 1, 
1997, within section 243(h)(2) of the Act as it appeared prior to that 
date. For purposes of section 241(b)(3)(B)(ii) of the Act, or section 
243(h)(2)(B) of the Act as it appeared prior to April 1, 1997, an alien 
who has been convicted of a particularly serious crime shall be 
considered to constitute a danger to the community. If the evidence 
indicates the applicability of one or more of the grounds for denial of 
withholding enumerated in the Act, the applicant shall have the burden 
of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that such grounds do not 
apply.

[[Page 84194]]

    (ii) Public health emergencies. If a communicable disease has 
triggered an ongoing declaration of a public health emergency under 
Federal law, such as under section 319 of the Public Health Service 
Act, 42 U.S.C. 247d, or section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 
Act, 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3, then an alien is ineligible for withholding of 
removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act and under the regulations 
issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against 
Torture on the basis of there being reasonable grounds for regarding 
the alien as a danger to the security of the United States under 
section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act if the alien
    (A) Exhibits symptoms indicating that he or she is afflicted with 
the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate, or
    (B) Has come into contact with the disease within the number of 
days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period 
for the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate.
    (iii) Danger to the Public Health Caused by an Epidemic Outside of 
the United States. If, regarding a communicable disease of public 
health significance as defined at 42 CFR 34.2(b), the Secretary and the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, have jointly
    (A) Determined that the physical presence in the United States of 
aliens who are coming from a country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or have embarked at a place or 
places, where such disease is prevalent or epidemic (or had come from 
that country or countries (or one or more subdivisions or regions 
thereof), or had embarked at that place or places, during a period in 
which the disease was prevalent or epidemic there) would cause a danger 
to the public health in the United States, and
    (B) Designated the foreign country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or place or places, and the period of 
time or circumstances under which they jointly deem it necessary for 
the public health that aliens or classes of aliens described in 
paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(A) of this section who are still within the number 
of days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period 
for the disease be regarded as a danger to the security of the United 
States under section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act, including any 
relevant exceptions as appropriate, then--
    (C) An alien or class of aliens are ineligible for withholding of 
removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act and under the regulations 
issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against 
Torture on the basis of there being reasonable grounds for regarding 
the alien or class of aliens as a danger to the security of the United 
States under section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act if the alien or class 
of aliens are described in paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(A) of this section and 
are regarded as a danger to the security of the United States as 
provided for in paragraph (d)(2)(ii)(B) of this section.
    (iv) The grounds for mandatory denial described in paragraphs 
(d)(2)(ii) and (iii) of this section shall not apply to an alien who is 
applying for asylum or withholding of removal in the United States upon 
return from Canada to the United States and pursuant to the Agreement 
Between the Government of the United States and the Government of 
Canada for Cooperation in the Examination of Refugee Status Claims from 
Nationals of Third Countries.
* * * * *
    (f) Removal to third country. (1) Nothing in this section or Sec.  
208.17 shall prevent the Department from removing an alien requesting 
protection to a third country other than a country to which removal is 
currently withheld or deferred.
    (2) If an alien requests withholding or deferral of removal to his 
or her home country or another specific country, nothing in this 
section or Sec.  208.17 precludes the Department from removing the 
alien to a third country prior to a determination or adjudication of 
the alien's initial request for withholding or deferral of removal if, 
after being notified of the identity of the prospective third country 
of removal and provided an opportunity to demonstrate that he or she is 
more likely than not to be tortured in that third country, the alien 
fails to establish that they are more likely than not to be tortured 
there. However, such a removal shall be executed only if the alien was:
    (i) Advised at the time of requesting withholding or deferral of 
removal of the possibility of being removed to a third country prior to 
a determination or adjudication of the same under the conditions set 
forth in this paragraph; and
    (ii) Provided, but did not accept, an opportunity to withdraw the 
request for withholding or deferral of removal in order to prevent such 
removal and, instead, proceed to removal pursuant to section 241(b) of 
the Act, as appropriate.

0
4. Amend Sec.  208.30 by revising paragraph (e)(4)(e)(5)(i)(A) and (B) 
and (e)(5)(iii), adding paragraph (e)(5)(iv), and revising paragraphs 
(f) introductory text, (f)(1), and (g)(1) to read as follows:


Sec.  208.30   Credible fear determinations involving stowaways and 
applicants for admission who are found inadmissible pursuant to section 
212(a)(6)(C) or 212(a)(7) of the Act, whose entry is limited or 
suspended under section 212(f) or 215(a)(1) of the Act, or who failed 
to apply for protection from persecution in a third country where 
potential relief is available while en route to the United States.

* * * * *
    (e) * * *
    (4) In all cases, the asylum officer will create a written record 
of his or her determination, including a summary of the material facts 
as stated by the alien, any additional facts relied on by the officer, 
and the officer's determination of whether, in light of such facts, the 
alien has established a credible fear of persecution, reasonable 
possibility of persecution, reasonable possibility of torture or that 
it is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured in the 
prospective country of removal. In determining whether the alien has a 
credible fear of persecution, as defined in section 235(b)(1)(B)(v) of 
the Act, a reasonable possibility of persecution or torture, or that it 
is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured in the 
prospective country of removal, the asylum officer shall consider 
whether the alien's case presents novel or unique issues that merit 
consideration in a full hearing before an immigration judge.
    (5)(i)(A) Except as provided in paragraphs (e)(5)(ii) through (iv) 
or paragraph (e)(6) or (7) of this section, if an alien would be able 
to establish a credible fear of persecution but for the fact that the 
alien is subject to one or more of the mandatory bars to applying for 
asylum or being eligible for asylum contained in section 208(a)(2)(B)-
(D) and (b)(2) of the Act, including any bars established by regulation 
under section 208(b)(2)(C) of the Act, then the asylum officer will 
enter a negative credible fear of persecution determination with 
respect to the alien's eligibility for asylum.
    (B) If an alien described in paragraph (e)(5)(i)(A) of this section 
is able to establish either a reasonable possibility of persecution 
(including by establishing that he or she is not subject to one or more 
of the mandatory bars to eligibility for withholding of removal 
contained in section 241(b)(3)(B) of the Act) or a reasonable 
possibility of torture, then the asylum officer will enter a positive 
reasonable possibility of persecution or torture determination, as

[[Page 84195]]

applicable. The Department of Homeland Security shall place the alien 
in asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings under 8 CFR 1208.2(c)(1) for 
full consideration of the alien's claim for withholding of removal 
under section 241(b)(3) of the Act or withholding or deferral of 
removal under the regulations issued pursuant to the implementing 
legislation for the Convention Against Torture.
* * * * *
    (iii) If the alien is found to be an alien described as ineligible 
for asylum in Sec.  208.13(c)(4), then the asylum officer shall enter a 
negative credible fear determination with respect to the alien's 
application for asylum. If the alien--
    (A) Establishes, respectively, a reasonable possibility of 
persecution (including by establishing that he or she is not subject to 
one or more of the mandatory bars to eligibility for withholding of 
removal contained in section 241(b)(3)(B) of the Act) or torture; or
    (B) Would be able to establish a reasonable possibility of 
persecution but for the fact that he or she is subject to the mandatory 
bar to eligibility for withholding of removal under section 
241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act, but nevertheless establishes that it is 
more likely than not that he or she would be tortured in the 
prospective country of removal, the Department of Homeland Security 
may, in the unreviewable discretion of the Secretary, either place the 
alien in asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings under 8 CFR 
208.2(c)(1) for full consideration of the alien's claim for asylum 
under section 208 of the Act, withholding of removal under section 
241(b)(3) of the Act or withholding or deferral of removal under the 
regulations issued pursuant to the implementing legislation for the 
Convention Against Torture, or remove the alien to a third country.
    (1) If the Department places the alien in asylum-and-withholding-
only proceedings under 8 CFR 208.2(c)(1), then the immigration judge 
shall review all issues de novo, including whether the alien has 
established that it is more likely than not that he or she would be 
tortured in the prospective country of removal.
    (2) If the Department decides to remove the alien to a third 
country, it shall do so in a manner consistent with section 241 of the 
Act and Sec.  241.15, including by not removing the alien to a third 
country in which, after being notified of the identity of the 
prospective third country of removal the alien has established during 
an interview with an asylum officer that he or she is more likely than 
not to be tortured in that country. Further, such a removal to a third 
country shall be executed only if the alien was:
    (i) Advised at the time of being determined to be subject to the 
mandatory bar to eligibility for withholding of removal under section 
241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act and under the regulations issued pursuant 
to the legislation implementing the Convention Against Torture of the 
possibility of being removed to a third country prior to a 
determination or adjudication of the same under the conditions set 
forth in this paragraph, and
    (ii) Provided, but did not accept, an opportunity to proceed to 
removal pursuant to section 241(b) of the Act, as appropriate.
    (C) If an alien fails to establish a reasonable possibility of 
persecution or torture and is unable, during an interview with the 
asylum officer, to establish that it is more likely than not that he or 
she would be tortured in the prospective country of removal, then the 
asylum officer will provide the alien with a written notice of decision 
that will be subject to immigration judge review consistent with 
paragraph (g) of this section,
    (iv)(A) Except as provided in paragraphs (e)(5)(ii) and (iii) or 
paragraph (e)(6) or (7) of this section, if an alien would be able to 
establish a credible fear of persecution or a reasonable possibility of 
persecution but for the fact that the alien is subject to the mandatory 
bars to being eligible for asylum contained in section 208(b)(2)(A)(iv) 
of the Act and to withholding of removal contained in section 
241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act:
    (1) If the alien fails to establish, during an interview with the 
asylum officer, that it is more likely than not that he or she would be 
tortured in the prospective country of removal, then the asylum officer 
will provide the alien with a written notice of decision that will be 
subject to immigration judge review consistent with paragraph (g) of 
this section;
    (2) If the alien establishes that it is more likely than not that 
he or she would be tortured in the prospective country of removal, the 
Department of Homeland Security may, in the unreviewable discretion of 
the Secretary, either place the alien in asylum-and-withholding-only 
proceedings under 8 CFR 208.2(c)(1) for full consideration of the 
alien's claim for asylum under section 208 of the Act, withholding of 
removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act or withholding or deferral 
of removal under the regulations issued pursuant to the implementing 
legislation for the Convention Against Torture, or remove the alien to 
a third country.
    (i) If the Department places the alien in asylum-and-withholding-
only proceedings under 8 CFR 208.2(c)(1), then the IJ shall review all 
issues de novo, including whether the alien has established that it is 
more likely than not that he or she would be tortured in the 
prospective country of removal.
    (ii) If the Department decides to remove the alien to a third 
country, it shall do so in a manner consistent with section 241 of the 
Act and Sec.  241.15, including by not removing the alien to a third 
country in which, after being notified of the identity of the proposed 
third country of removal, the alien has established that he or she 
would be more likely than not to be tortured. Further, such a removal 
shall be executed only if the alien was advised at the time of being 
determined to be subject to the mandatory bar to eligibility for 
withholding of removal under section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act and 
under the regulations issued pursuant to the legislation implementing 
the Convention Against Torture of the possibility of being removed to a 
third country prior to a determination or adjudication of the same 
under the conditions set forth in this paragraph (e)(5)(iv) and 
provided with, but did not accept, an opportunity to proceed to removal 
pursuant to section 241(b) of the Act, as appropriate.
    (f) Procedures for a positive fear determination. If, pursuant to 
paragraph (e) of this section, an alien stowaway or an alien subject to 
expedited removal establishes either a credible fear of persecution, 
reasonable possibility of persecution, a reasonable possibility of 
torture, or that it is more likely than not that they would be tortured 
in the prospective country of removal:
    (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (e)(5)(iii) through (iv) of 
this section, DHS shall issue a Notice of Referral to Immigration Judge 
for asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings under 8 CFR 208.2(c)(1).
* * * * *
    (g) * * *
    (1) If, pursuant to paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section, an 
alien does not establish a credible fear of persecution, reasonable 
possibility of persecution, reasonable possibility of torture, or that 
he or she is more likely than not to be tortured in the prospective 
country of removal, DHS shall provide the alien with a written notice 
of decision and inquire whether the alien wishes to have an immigration 
judge review the

[[Page 84196]]

negative determination, in accordance with section 
235(b)(1)(B)(iii)(III) of the Act and this Sec.  208.30. The alien must 
indicate whether he or she desires such review on a Record of Negative 
Fear Finding and Request for Review by Immigration Judge. If the alien 
refuses to make an indication, DHS shall consider such a response as a 
decision to decline review.
* * * * *

PART 235--INSPECTION OF PERSONS APPLYING FOR ADMISSION

0
5. The authority citation for part 235 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  8 U.S.C. 1101 and note, 1103, 1183, 1185 (pursuant 
to E.O. 13323, 69 FR 241, 3 CFR, 2004 Comp., p. 278), 1201, 1224, 
1225, 1226, 1228, 1365a note, 1365b, 1379, 1731-32; Title VII of 
Public Law 110-229; 8 U.S.C. 1185 note (section 7209 of Pub. L. 108-
458); Public Law 112-54; Public Law 115-218.


0
6. Amend Sec.  235.6 by revising paragraph (a)(2)(i) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  235.6   Referral to immigration judge.

    (a) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (i) If an asylum officer determines that the alien has not 
established a credible fear of persecution, reasonable possibility of 
persecution, reasonable possibility of torture, or that it is more 
likely than not that the alien would be tortured in the prospective 
country of removal, and the alien requests a review of that 
determination by an immigration judge; or
* * * * *

Department of Justice

    Accordingly, for the reasons set forth in the preamble, and by the 
authority vested in the Director, Executive Office for Immigration 
Review, by the Attorney General Order Number 4910-2020, the Department 
amends parts 1003, 1208, and 1235 of title 8 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations as follows:

PART 1003--EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR IMMIGRATION REVIEW

0
7. The authority citation for part 1003 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  5 U.S.C. 301; 6 U.S.C. 521; 8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, 
1154, 1155, 1158, 1182, 1226, 1229, 1229a, 1229b, 1229c, 1231, 
1254a, 1255, 1324d, 1330, 1361, 1362; 28 U.S.C. 509, 510, 1746; sec. 
2 Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1950; 3 CFR, 1949-1953 Comp., p. 1002; 
section 203 of Public Law 105-100, 111 Stat. 2196-200; sections 1506 
and 1510 of Public Law 106-386, 114 Stat. 1527-29, 1531-32; section 
1505 of Public Law 106-554, 114 Stat. 2763A-326 to -328.


0
8. Amend Sec.  1003.42 by revising paragraph (d)(1) to read as follows:


Sec.  1003.42   Review of credible fear determination.

* * * * *
    (d) * * *
    (1) The immigration judge shall make a de novo determination as to 
whether there is a significant possibility, taking into account the 
credibility of the statements made by the alien in support of the 
alien's claim, whether the alien is subject to any mandatory bars to 
applying for asylum or being eligible for asylum under section 
208(a)(2)(B)-(D) and (b)(2) of the Act, including any bars established 
by regulation under section 208(b)(2)(C) of the Act, and such other 
facts as are known to the immigration judge, that the alien could 
establish his or her ability to apply for or be granted asylum under 
section 208 of the Act. The immigration judge shall make a de novo 
determination as to whether there is a reasonable possibility, taking 
into account the credibility of the statements made by the alien in 
support of the alien's claim, whether the alien is subject to any 
mandatory bars to eligibility for withholding of removal under section 
241(b)(3)(B) of the Act, and such other facts as are known to the 
immigration judge, that the alien would be persecuted on account of his 
or her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social 
group, or political opinion in the country of removal, consistent with 
the criteria in 8 CFR 1208.16(b). The immigration judge shall also make 
de novo determinations as to whether there is a reasonable possibility 
that the alien would be tortured in the country of removal and whether 
it is more likely than not that the alien would be tortured in the 
country of removal, in both instances taking into account the 
credibility of the statements made by the alien in support of the 
alien's claim and such other facts as are known to the immigration 
judge, consistent with the criteria in 8 CFR 1208.16(c), 8 CFR 1208.17, 
and 8 CFR 1208.18.
* * * * *

PART 1208--PROCEDURES FOR ASYLUM AND WITHHOLDING OF REMOVAL

0
9. The authority citation for part 1208 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, 1158, 1226, 1252, 1282; Title 
VII of Public Law 110-229; Public Law 115-218.


0
10. Amend Sec.  1208.13 by adding paragraph (c)(10) to read as follows:


Sec.  1208.13   Establishing asylum eligibility.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *
    (10)(i) Public health emergencies. If a communicable disease has 
triggered an ongoing declaration of a public health emergency under 
Federal law, such as under section 319 of the Public Health Service 
Act, 42 U.S.C. 247d, or section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 
Act, 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3, then an alien is ineligible for asylum under 
section 208 of the Act on the basis of there being reasonable grounds 
for regarding the alien as a danger to the security of the United 
States under section 208(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Act if the alien--
    (A) Exhibits symptoms indicating that he or she is afflicted with 
the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate, or
    (B) Has come into contact with the disease within the number of 
days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period 
for the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate.
    (ii) Danger to the public health caused by an epidemic outside of 
the United States. If, regarding a communicable disease of public 
health significance as defined at 42 CFR 34.2(b), the Secretary and the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, have jointly--
    (A) Determined that the physical presence in the United States of 
aliens who are coming from a country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or have embarked at a place or 
places, where such disease is prevalent or epidemic (or had come from 
that country or countries (or one or more subdivisions or regions 
thereof), or had embarked at that place or places, during a period in 
which the disease was prevalent or epidemic there) would cause a danger 
to the public health in the United States, and
    (B) Designated the foreign country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or place or places, and the period of 
time or circumstances under which they jointly deem it necessary for 
the public health that aliens or classes of aliens described in 
paragraph (c)(1)(ii)(A) of this section who are still within the number 
of days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period 
for the disease be regarded as a danger to the security of the United 
States under section 208(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Act, including any 
relevant exceptions as appropriate, then--
    (C) An alien or class of aliens are ineligible for asylum under 
section 208

[[Page 84197]]

of the Act on the basis of there being reasonable grounds for regarding 
the alien or class of aliens as a danger to the security of the United 
States under section 208(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Act if the alien or class 
of aliens are described in paragraph (c)(10)(ii)(A) of this section and 
are regarded as a danger to the security of the United States as 
provided for in paragraph (c)(10)(ii)(B) of this section.
    (iii) The grounds for mandatory denial described in paragraphs 
(c)(10)(i) and (ii) of this section shall not apply to an alien who is 
applying for asylum or withholding of removal in the United States upon 
return from Canada to the United States and pursuant to the Agreement 
Between the Government of the United States and the Government of 
Canada for Cooperation in the Examination of Refugee Status Claims from 
Nationals of Third Countries.

0
11. Amend Sec.  1208.16 by revising paragraphs (d)(2) and (f) to read 
as follows:


Sec.  1208.16   Withholding of removal under section 241(b)(3)(B) of 
the Act and withholding of removal under the Convention Against 
Torture.

* * * * *
    (d) * * *
    (2) Mandatory denials--(i) In general. Except as provided in 
paragraph (d)(3) of this section, an application for withholding of 
removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act or under the regulations 
issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against 
Torture shall be denied if the applicant falls within section 
241(b)(3)(B) of the Act or, for applications for withholding of 
deportation adjudicated in proceedings commenced prior to April 1, 
1997, within section 243(h)(2) of the Act as it appeared prior to that 
date. For purposes of section 241(b)(3)(B)(ii) of the Act, or section 
243(h)(2)(B) of the Act as it appeared prior to April 1, 1997, an alien 
who has been convicted of a particularly serious crime shall be 
considered to constitute a danger to the community. If the evidence 
indicates the applicability of one or more of the grounds for denial of 
withholding enumerated in the Act, the applicant shall have the burden 
of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that such grounds do not 
apply.
    (ii) Public health emergencies. If a communicable disease has 
triggered an ongoing declaration of a public health emergency under 
Federal law, such as under section 319 of the Public Health Service 
Act, 42 U.S.C. 247d, or section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 
Act, 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3, then an alien is ineligible for withholding of 
removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act and under the regulations 
issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against 
Torture on the basis of there being reasonable grounds for regarding 
the alien as a danger to the security of the United States under 
section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act if the alien--
    (A) Exhibits symptoms indicating that he or she is afflicted with 
the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate; or
    (B) Has come into contact with the disease within the number of 
days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion period 
for the disease, per guidance issued by the Secretary or the Attorney 
General, as appropriate.
    (iii) Danger to the public health caused by an epidemic outside of 
the United States. If, regarding a communicable disease of public 
health significance as defined at 42 CFR 34.2(b), the Secretary and the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, have jointly--
    (A) Determined that the physical presence in the United States of 
aliens who are coming from a country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or have embarked at a place or 
places, where such disease is prevalent or epidemic (or had come from 
that country or countries (or one or more subdivisions or regions 
thereof), or had embarked at that place or places, during a period in 
which the disease was prevalent or epidemic there) would cause a danger 
to the public health in the United States; and
    (B) Designated the foreign country or countries (or one or more 
subdivisions or regions thereof), or place or places, and the period of 
time or circumstances under which they jointly deem it necessary for 
the public health that aliens or classes of aliens described in 
paragraph (d)(2)(iii)(A) of this section who are still within the 
number of days equivalent to the longest known incubation and contagion 
period for the disease be regarded as a danger to the security of the 
United States under section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act, including any 
relevant exceptions as appropriate, then--
    (C) An alien or class of aliens are ineligible for withholding of 
removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act and under the regulations 
issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the Convention Against 
Torture on the basis of there being reasonable grounds for regarding 
the alien or class of aliens as a danger to the security of the United 
States under section 241(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Act if the alien or class 
of aliens are described in paragraph (d)(2)(iii)(A) of this section and 
are regarded as a danger to the security of the United States as 
provided for in paragraph (d)(2)(iii)(B) of this section.
    (iv) The grounds for mandatory denial described in paragraphs 
(d)(2)(ii) and (iii) of this section shall not apply to an alien who is 
applying for asylum or withholding of removal in the United States upon 
return from Canada to the United States and pursuant to the Agreement 
Between the Government of the United States and the Government of 
Canada for Cooperation in the Examination of Refugee Status Claims from 
Nationals of Third Countries)
* * * * *
    (f) Removal to third country. (1) Nothing in this section or Sec.  
1208.17 shall prevent the Department of Homeland Security from removing 
an alien requesting protection to a third country other than a country 
to which removal is currently withheld or deferred.
    (2) If an alien requests withholding or deferral of removal to the 
applicable home country or another specific country, nothing in this 
section or Sec.  1208.17 precludes the Department of Homeland Security 
from removing the alien to a third country prior to a determination or 
adjudication of the alien's initial request for withholding or deferral 
of removal if, after being notified of the identity of the prospective 
third country of removal and provided an opportunity to demonstrate 
that he or she is more likely than not to be tortured in that third 
country, the alien fails to establish that they are more likely than 
not to be tortured there. However, such a removal shall be executed 
only if the alien was:
    (i) Advised at the time of requesting withholding or deferral of 
removal of the possibility of being removed to a third country prior to 
a determination or adjudication of the same under the conditions set 
forth in this paragraph, and
    (ii) Provided, but did not accept, an opportunity to withdraw the 
request for withholding or deferral of removal in order to prevent such 
removal and, instead, proceed to removal pursuant to section 241(b) of 
the Act, as appropriate.

0
12. Amend Sec.  1208.30 by revising paragraphs (e), (g)(1)(ii), 
(g)(2)(i), and (g)(2)(iv)(A) and (B) to read as follows:

[[Page 84198]]

Sec.  1208.30   Credible fear determinations of persecution, reasonable 
possibility of persecution, and reasonable possibility of torture 
determinations involving stowaways and applicants for admission who are 
found inadmissible pursuant to section 212(a)(6)(C) or 212(a)(7) of the 
Act, whose entry is limited or suspended under section 212(f) or 
215(a)(1) of the Act, or who failed to apply for protection from 
persecution in a third country where potential relief is available 
while en route to the United States.

* * * * *
    (e) Determination. For the standards and procedures for asylum 
officers in conducting credible fear of persecution, reasonable 
possibility of persecution, and reasonable possibility of torture 
interviews, and interviews to determine whether an alien has 
established that he or she is more likely than not to be tortured in 
the prospective country of removal, and in making positive and negative 
fear determinations, see 8 CFR 208.30. The immigration judges will 
review such determinations as provided in paragraph (g) of this section 
and 8 CFR 1003.42.
* * * * *
    (g) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (ii) If the alien is determined to be an alien described as 
ineligible for asylum in 8 CFR 208.13(c)(4) or 8 CFR 1208.13(c)(4) and 
is determined to lack a reasonable possibility of persecution or 
torture under 8 CFR 208.30(e)(5)(iii), the immigration judge shall 
first review de novo the determination that the alien is described as 
ineligible for asylum in 8 CFR 208.13(c)(4) or 8 CFR 1208.13(c)(4). If 
the immigration judge finds that the alien is not described as 
ineligible for asylum in 8 CFR 208.13(c)(4) or 8 CFR 1208.13(c)(4), 
then, except as provided in 8 CFR 208.30(e)(iv), the immigration judge 
shall vacate the order of the asylum officer, and DHS may commence 
asylum-and-withholding-only proceedings under 8 CFR 1208.2(c)(1). If 
the immigration judge concurs with the determination that the alien is 
an alien described as ineligible for asylum in 8 CFR 208.13(c)(4) or 8 
CFR 1208.13(c)(4), the immigration judge will then review the asylum 
officer's negative decision regarding reasonable possibility made under 
8 CFR 208.30(e)(5) and regarding whether the alien has established that 
it is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured in the 
prospective country of removal, consistent with paragraph (g)(2) of 
this section, except that the immigration judge will review the fear of 
persecution or torture findings under the reasonable possibility 
standard, and the determination that the alien has not established that 
he or she is more likely than not to be tortured in the prospective 
country of removal under the more likely than not standard, instead of 
the credible fear of persecution standard described in paragraph 
(g)(2).
    (2) * * *
    (i) The asylum officer's negative decision regarding a credible 
fear of persecution, reasonable possibility of persecution, reasonable 
possibility of torture, and whether the alien has established that he 
or she is more likely than not to be tortured in the prospective 
country of removal shall be subject to review by an immigration judge 
upon the applicant's request, in accordance with section 
235(b)(1)(B)(iii)(III) of the Act. If the alien refuses to make an 
indication, DHS will consider such a response as a decision to decline 
review.
* * * * *
    (iv) * * *
    (A) If the immigration judge concurs with the determination of the 
asylum officer that the alien has not established a credible fear of 
persecution, reasonable possibility of persecution, reasonable 
possibility of torture, or that he or she is more likely than not to be 
tortured in the prospective country of removal, except as provided in 
Sec.  208.30(e)(5)(iii) and (iv), the case shall be returned to DHS for 
removal of the alien. The immigration judge's decision is final and may 
not be appealed.
    (B) If the immigration judge finds that the alien, other than an 
alien stowaway, establishes a credible fear of persecution, reasonable 
possibility of persecution, reasonable possibility of torture, or that 
he or she is more likely than not to be tortured in the prospective 
country of removal, the immigration judge shall, except as provided in 
Sec.  208.30(e)(5)(iii) and (iv), vacate the Notice and Order of 
Expedited Removal and DHS may commence asylum-and-withholding-only 
proceedings under 8 CFR 1208.2(c)(1), during which time the alien may 
file an application for asylum and for withholding of removal in 
accordance with 8 CFR 1208.4(b)(3)(i). Such application shall be 
considered de novo in all respects by an immigration judge regardless 
of any determination made under this paragraph.
* * * * *

PART 1235--INSPECTION OF PERSONS APPLYING FOR ADMISSION

0
13. The authority citation for part 1235 continues to read as fol1ows:

    Authority:  8 U.S.C. 1101 and note, 1103, 1183, 1185 (pursuant 
to E.O. 13323, 69 FR 241, 3 CFR, 2003 Comp., p. 278), 1201, 1224, 
1225, 1226, 1228, 1365a note, 1379, 1731-32; Title VII of Public Law 
110-229; 8 U.S.C. 1185 note (section 7209 of Pub. L. 108-458); 
Public Law 115-218.


0
14. Amend Sec.  1235.6 by revising paragraph (a)(2)(i) to read as 
follows:


Sec.  1235.6   Referral to immigration judge.

    (a) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (i) If an asylum officer determines that an alien does not have a 
credible fear of persecution, reasonable possibility of persecution, 
reasonable possibility of torture, or has not established that he or 
she is more likely than not to be tortured in the prospective country 
of removal, and the alien requests a review of that determination by an 
immigration judge; or
* * * * *

Chad R. Mizelle,
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the General Counsel.
James R. McHenry III,
Director, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Department of 
Justice.
[FR Doc. 2020-28436 Filed 12-22-20; 8:45 am]
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