Trump's reported new immigration rule would sneakily ban Central American migrants from claiming asylum

First President Trump made migrants return to Mexico as their asylum hearings spend years trickling through the court system. Now he reportedly doesn't want to give them hearings at all.

Trump's Homeland Security advisers are currently passing around a proposal that would only let migrants claim asylum if they came directly from their home country to the U.S., Politico reported and BuzzFeed News confirmed. That would spell the end of asylum possibilities for thousands of Central American migrants, seeing as they usually trek through Mexico on their way north.

The proposal suggests migrants could find protection in the countries they travel through before reaching the U.S., but that they choose not to, people familiar with the proposal tell BuzzFeed News. This reported draft proposal seeks to punish migrants for not exercising that option, despite the fact that not all countries offer full asylum protections like the U.S.

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Trump hinted at the proposal Thursday before a trip to Colorado, saying he would soon release his "biggest statement" on the border to date. Two sources told Politico he was talking about the asylum change. Advisers are reportedly planning to roll out the policy as an administrative rule, but seeing as they expect it to face court challenges, hope to get legislative backup soon after, Politico says.

The proposal comes as thousands of migrants, from Central America and elsewhere, are pushed back across the Mexican border to wait for asylum hearings that are often still years away. Thousands of other migrants are stuck waiting in improvised detention facilities, and even under bridges and in parking lots, for hearings.