The Impact of Federal Asylum Rule Change on Immigration Flow and Border Plight.

A new federal rule that allows border agents to turn away asylum seekers if they haven’t first applied online or sought protection in a country they traveled through to reach the U.S. border could affect the flow of new immigrants into Maine. Most asylum seekers who come to Maine are from Central Africa and travel through multiple countries in South America before crossing at the southern border with Mexico. State and local officials are waiting to see how the two changes could impact the number of asylum seekers coming to Maine while continuing to advocate for broader immigration reforms.