President Biden is considering executive action that could prevent people who cross illegally into the United States from claiming asylum, several people with knowledge of the proposal said Wednesday. The move would suspend longtime guarantees that give anyone who steps onto U.S. soil the right to ask for safe haven.
The order would put into effect a key policy in a bipartisan bill that Republicans thwarted earlier this month, even though it had some of the most significant border security restrictions Congress has contemplated in years.
The bill would have essentially shut down the border to new entrants if more than an average of 5,000 migrants per day tried to cross unlawfully in the course of a week, or more than 8,500 tried to cross in a given day.
The action under consideration by the White House would have a similar trigger for blocking asylum to new entrants, the people with knowledge of the proposal say. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The move, if enacted, would echo a 2018 effort by President Donald J. Trump to block migration, which was assailed by Democrats and blocked by federal courts.
@MindPorpoiseRepublican2mos2MO
He needs to stop mulling and just do it. This is the issue that will loose him the election if it hasn’t done him in already. He needs to stop pandering to the small minority on the left and act swiftly in a common sense way to show that he’s on top of this issue.
@RadiantGnuDemocrat2mos2MO
If Biden loses the election, it won’t be because of his policy position on immigration. The Electoral College, general political disaffection, and voting restrictions in swing states will play a much larger role. There’s also nothing common sense about looking at people who have credible fears of remaining in their home country and who have risked life and limb to get to our border and saying they have to go back to the same place they risked everything to escape
@MindPorpoiseRepublican2mos2MO
I thought he couldn't do it because of Republican this and Republican that. What happened?
All of sudden, did he remember the oath he took to protect the country?
A little late, but when mainstream media gives a pass, it's easy to be complacent.
@AmazedChoughForward2mos2MO
Isn't this an implicit acknowledgment that his reversal of Trump’s executive orders on immigration caused - in large part- the current influx?
His whole argument in favor of the Senate plan was that he did not have the authority to remedy the problem via executive order.
Mr. Biden's policies created the problem he now seeks to fix through the exercise of executive authority he claims not to have.
Right...makes a lot of sense if you consider his polling numbers and the fact that it's an election year.
I wouldn't vote for Trump if you paid me. But Democrats have had 3 years to get the border under control and it's only gotten worse.
"Ineffectual" might be too nice a word; it implies an earnest effort that's ineffective. And what we've seen looks like no effort.
However ghastly Trump is, the numbers crossing will plummet within months if he's elected.
And that's what's so infuriating about the Democrats.
The precedent was already established and it was deemed illegal when Trump did it. This will be blocked by the courts like Trump's orders were.
However, it's still worth doing for the symbolism and bombast. Basically, Biden needs to copy Trump.
