President Biden is planning executive action that would allow him to close the U.S.-Mexico border if the number of migrants entering the country reaches 4,000 per day, officials close to the White House said in a Wednesday post. told the paper.
The order is consistent with a provision in a bipartisan border bill that failed to pass the Senate in February, which would require the president to expel immigrants if the number of people crossing the border reaches the daily average. It has given me the authority to do so.
The bill would give the Secretary of Homeland Security discretion to carry out deportations, but would require deportations if the number of illegal immigrants exceeds 5,000 per day in a week. .
Federal officials confirmed to the Post that an executive order restricting immigration is expected, but it was unclear when it would be announced.
The White House declined to comment.
U.S. Border Patrol currently holds more than 10,000 immigrants across the United States, according to internal Customs and Border Protection data obtained exclusively by the newspaper.
Five Border Patrol divisions are over capacity, with the San Diego area holding 1,675 migrants in facilities that can only hold a total of 1,000 people.
A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who has repeatedly called on Biden to take action on the border issue, said the executive order was a sign that Congress would pass legislation to take action on the border issue. “We will prove that there is no need to do so.” It’s a border. ”
Polls consistently show that the president faces a tough fight for re-election in November, with illegal immigration and increased border security being top concerns among voters.
Biden, 81, declined last month to say whether he would take executive action to address the border crisis, which has seen record numbers of migrants enter the United States every year since he took office.
The government recently introduced new limits Asylum interviews will be held at the southern border to allow officers to quickly remove migrants who do not have a “credible fear” of returning to their home countries.
“I’m considering whether I have the authority to do that,” Biden told Univision’s Enrique Acevedo, referring to another order he is said to be considering raising the “credible fear standard” for asylum seekers. ” he said.
The president is also considering executive measures to deny asylum to immigrants who cross the border illegally between ports of entry, and to deny asylum to migrants if they cross the border illegally between ports of entry, and if border crossings reach thresholds without notice Politico reported in February that it was also considering removing migrants at points.
Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats changed their own border message.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is also considering reviving the failed border bill, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to the Post.
The bill in February fell 11 votes short of the 60-vote threshold for a filibuster, with five of those votes coming from Democrats.
“We cannot continue with the status quo,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “The only way to solve this problem is not through partisan talk, but through real bipartisan action.”
In his floor speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) praised the commander-in-chief’s handling of the crisis, with “nearly 5,000 people a day still illegally crossing the border.” It seems like the time has come,” he said with a wry smile. .
McConnell, who voted against the Senate border bill, added: “Of course, President Biden has the authority he needs to quickly begin repairing the damage from the historic crisis that unfolded on his watch.” .
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), who also voted against the bill, called the move a “cheap ploy in an election year” because “Biden has lost all credibility on the border issue.”
“Democrats have completely failed on this issue for the past three and a half years, and they will have to own up to that failure before American voters,” Schmidt told the Post.
“Chuck Schumer should spend his time persuading Biden to reinstate the successful butt policies that Biden reversed, such as Remain in Mexico, which brought illegal immigration to a five-year low. ”
First reported by Axios Schumer discussed bringing the border bill back to the floor at last week’s Senate Democratic Caucus luncheon.
“Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats have already introduced a House-backed bill with bipartisan support that would solve the southern border disaster orchestrated by the Biden administration, but they are not ready to pass it on to the Senate. Johnson also told the Post. statement.
“The core elements of HR2, the Ending Border Catastrophe Act, which includes the Secure Borders Act of 2023, would legislate Remain in Mexico, reform parole and asylum laws, and build a border wall,” Johnson said. he added.
On Friday, the House Democratic campaign arm also A memo has been published “Encourages members to “go on the offensive” against participating Republicans. [former President Donald] President Trump scrapped a bipartisan border agreement to allow for border campaigning. ”
If President Trump, 77, wins re-election on November 5, he will launch the “largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history” to remove the “nearly 20 million” illegal immigrants currently in the United States. I promised.
More than 8 million immigrants are expected to be in the United States illegally by October, according to court records in asylum cases involving noncitizens released into the interior by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
