President Biden on Tuesday unveiled new executive action authorizing U.S. immigration officials to deport large numbers of migrants without processing their asylum claims, announcing what is arguably the most restrictive border policy by a Democratic president in recent history.

Mr. Biden’s aggressive move suspends the processing of asylum claims between official entry points along the southern border, allowing U.S. authorities to more quickly reject and deport migrants who enter the country unlawfully.

If an individual chooses not to use our legal pathways, if they choose to come without permission and against the law, they’ll be restricted from receiving asylum and staying in the United States,” the president said in remarks at the White House.The partial ban on asylum claims will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Regular asylum processing will only be restored 14 days after the secretary of homeland security determines that the weekly average of daily illegal border crossings has dipped below 1,500. The proclamation could be activated again if the weekly average of daily crossings between ports of entry surpasses 2,500.

To the dismay of migrant advocates, the seismic policy change attempts to upend U.S. asylum law, which allows migrants on American soil to request humanitarian protection, even if they cross the border illegally. But Biden administration officials have argued the asylum system is buckling under the weight of over 3 million pending applications, incentivizing migrants to come to the U.S. because it takes years to decide their cases.