The White House is finalizing plans for tightening controls at the U.S.-Mexico border, which would include blocking asylum requests and automatically denying entry to migrants if the number of people encountered by American border officials surpasses a new daily threshold. President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order as soon as Tuesday, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
Biden has been considering additional executive actions following the collapse of a bipartisan border bill earlier this year.
Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have been decreasing for months, partly due to increased efforts by Mexico. However, immigration remains a major concern leading up to the U.S. presidential election in November, with Republicans eager to criticize Biden on the issue.
The Democratic administration’s goal is to prevent a potential surge in crossings later in the year, as the election approaches and cooler weather typically leads to increased migration, according to two of the sources who spoke anonymously to The Associated Press because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing talks publicly.
Joe Biden talks in a campaign (Via Jim Moore/Getty Images)
Implementing these measures would allow Biden to argue that his administration has taken significant steps to manage border numbers without relying on Congressional support.
The discussions are ongoing and details are subject to change, with no final decisions made yet.
The proposed restrictions represent a proactive effort to address challenges in the nation’s strained asylum system. They also include initiatives to expedite cases for migrants already in the U.S. and accelerate processing for migrants with criminal backgrounds or those who may not qualify for asylum in the United States in the future.
