US proposes tougher rules on work permits for asylum-seekers

The Trump administration is proposing to make it tougher for asylum-seekers to obtain permission to work in the United States while their immigration cases are pending. US Citizenship and Immigration Services said Wednesday that a proposed rule would double the time asylum-seekers must wait for a work permit to a year and bar those who crossed a border illegally from applying for the permits at all.

The agency says the rule aims to discourage immigrants who don't qualify for asylum from seeking it. The public can comment on the proposed rule until January 13. It is the latest in a series of proposals by the Trump administration aimed at deterring immigrants from seeking asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border.