DHS considering plan to turn away asylum-seekers, people who crossed southern border illegally | Fox News

DHS considering plan to turn away asylum-seekers, people who crossed southern border illegally | Fox News

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DHS mulls plan to offset coronavirus outbreak by turning away asylum-seekers, illegal immigrants
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering a plan that would turn away asylum-seekers and anyone who has crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Fox News has learned.

DHS staff are still developing the plan before it's presented to President Trump for a final decision. The president has the authority to do whatever is necessary to protect the American public from the potentially deadly disease, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News. “President Trump is 100 percent committed to protecting the American people from coronavirus and all options are in the table," the official said.

This news comes after the European Union (EU) on Tuesday chose to close the bloc's borders to most foreigners. In addition, the U.S. reached two grim milestones Tuesday: Washington state reported its 1,000th case of coronavirus and West Virginia recorded its first case, making it the 50th state to have a confirmed case of the disease. Click here for more on our top story.

Other coronavirus developments:
- Brandon Judd: Coronavirus pandemic requires US to adopt new policy to quickly deport illegal immigrants
- Fauci says it'll be weeks before we see the effects of following coronavirus guidelines
- Senate pushes deal over coronavirus bills to Wednesday
- Oregon schools closed through April 28; Calif. schools ‘unlikely’ to reopen before summer: governors