The issue of illegal immigration already took center stage in the presidential election campaigns, as it bothers millions of Americans, even those living in areas far from the border and not directly impacted by the influx of migrants. Americans point fingers at the federal government and President Joe Biden for the ongoing illegal immigration crisis. Since President Biden took office in 2021, agents have caught more than 7 million people illegally crossing the southern border, according to the latest CBP data. The data completely aligns with accusations that the government is not doing enough to improve border security.
Recent Biden administration measures
As the pressure continues to grow on Biden and polling results against the presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are not in his favor, the federal government, specifically the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, announced two measures recently in what appear to be insufficient and late steps to somewhat fix the issue. Nearly two weeks ago, the US Homeland Security Department suggested a new rule for faster expulsion of asylum seekers deemed national security threats or those convicted of serious crimes. This measure aims to prohibit migrants with criminal histories from entering the U.S. Currently, the high number of migrants and the border authorities’ inability to handle the number of requests in a short period of time allow most asylum seekers to enter the country.
A few days later, the US Homeland Security Department announced another measure that aims to expedite the asylum process for migrants entering the US illegally, specifically targeting five major cities. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Thursday that a new Recent Arrivals (RA) Docket will quickly bring single adults before immigration judges. Judges must decide these asylum claims within 180 days. This would enable the federal government to overwhelm these cities with migrants anticipated to obtain legal status in six months.
Biden surprising plan
President Biden is considering an executive action that could lead to the closure of the US-Mexico border when daily migrant crossings hit 4,000, according to the New York Post, which cited sources familiar with the White House’s plans. The newspaper revealed that this order would mirror a section of a bipartisan border bill that didn’t pass in the Senate last February. This bill would have allowed the president to expel migrants once crossings reached that number daily. The proposal included giving the homeland security secretary the power to enforce removals, and it would have mandated deportations when illegal crossings exceeded 5,000 per day over a week.
An executive order
The legislation also mentioned that this authority could be suspended two weeks after the daily average dropped to 75% of those figures. A source from the federal government confirmed to the newspaper that an executive order to restrict entries is expected, though the exact timing of its announcement was not specified. In April, authorities on the southwestern border stopped approximately 5,990 migrants each day, as reported by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This count does not include migrants referred to as “gotaways,” who evade detection and arrest.
Biden sought lawmakers to pass the border bill first, but changes narrative lately
In January, Biden insisted that lawmakers had to approve the border bill before he could take further action to limit illegal immigration, telling reporters he had “done all I can do.” “Just give me the power. I’ve asked from the very day I got into office,” he said at the time. “Give me the Border Patrol, give me the people, the judges — give me the people who can stop this and make it work right.”
Yet, the president has shifted his position as public polls consistently indicate he is facing a tough re-election battle in November, with illegal immigration and stronger border enforcement being major issues for voters.
Biden doesn’t need Congress
A spokeswoman for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — who has repeatedly called on Biden to take action on the border — said the executive order would “prove” the president “doesn’t need Congress to pass legislation to take action on the border.”
