The White House is finalizing plans to tighten controls along the U.S.-Mexico border. These measures would include stopping asylum requests and automatically turning away migrants once American border officials encounter a certain number of people each day. President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order soon, possibly by Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Following the collapse of a bipartisan border bill earlier this year, Biden has been considering further executive actions. While illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have been decreasing due in part to increased efforts by Mexico, immigration remains a key issue leading up to the November presidential election, with Republicans eager to criticize Biden’s handling of the situation.
The Biden administration’s goal is to prevent any potential increase in border crossings later this year, especially as the election approaches and migration typically rises with cooler weather, according to sources who spoke anonymously to The Associated Press.
Chinese Migrants (Via Jim Moore/Getty Images)
These discussions are ongoing and details could change. The proposed measures are aimed at addressing challenges in the overwhelmed asylum system, speeding up the cases of migrants already in the U.S., and expediting processing for migrants with criminal backgrounds or those who may not qualify for asylum.
The administration is reportedly considering policies similar to those outlined in a stalled bipartisan Senate border deal, which includes setting a daily limit on encounters, possibly averaging 4,000 per day over a week. There’s also discussion about whether this limit would include asylum-seekers who have appointments through the CBP One app, which currently schedules around 1,450 appointments daily.
