"We have a number of efforts in that regard as well: immigration courts dedicated to the asylum claims as well as a new asylum rule that we hope to roll out before the close of the calendar year," Mayorkas said about US asylum proceedings reform on Thursday.
In addition, Mayorkas said he hopes to conclude negotiations with Mexican government officials in the coming days on the Biden administration's plans to reinstate the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program on the US southern border as required under a court order.
The Biden administration has also been in talks with international organizations and non-governmental organizations to address the needs and protection of migrants who will wait in Mexico while they await for their asylum proceedings, Mayorkas said.
MPP, also known as the Remain in Mexico policy, is expected to be reinstated by mid-November, according to US media reports.
An all-time high 1.7 million illegal immigrants were apprehended crossing the US southern border between October 2020 to September 2021, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection. The Biden administration's lax immigration policy is believed to serve as a major driver in the influx of migrants that have arrived in the US-Mexico border.