By Maria Ortiz
01 Jun 2024, 22:21 PM EDT
Joe Biden’s administration is finalizing the details of a new executive action that would allow the president to temporarily close the southern border to immigrants if necessaryand is in talks with Mexican leaders to obtain their crucial acceptance before proceeding, according to several US media reports citing officials familiar with the negotiations.
The White House is finalizing plans for a restriction on the entry of people at the border between the United States and Mexico that would close asylum applications and automatically deny entry to immigrants once the number of people encountered by US border officials exceeds a new daily threshold.
The move is designed to potentially blunt Republican attacks on border security in the months leading up to the 2024 election and get ahead of former President Donald Trump ahead of the first presidential debate, which will take place June 27 on CNN.
President Joe Biden ordered his top advisers to develop plans to curb illegal immigration months ago, and are considering a presidential authority in the United States Code known as Section 212(f), that would allow the president to unilaterally “suspend entry” of specific groups of undocumented immigrants whenever the number of attempts to cross the border grows too high.
That law, known as 212(f), allows the president to “suspend the entry” of foreigners when it is determined that their arrival is not in the best interest of the country.
The Trump administration used the law several times, including to prohibit immigration and travel from certain countries, most of them predominantly Muslim, and to bar immigrants from asylum if they entered the country illegally.
In addition to invoking 212(f), officials told NBC News, the White House is weighing a series of other immigration measures which could be implemented over several weeks, including at least a move that would further limit who can apply for asylum at the border.
President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order next Tuesday, four people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
White House officials have begun reaching out to mayors representing cities along the US southern border so they can join President Joe Biden when he announces the order, two sources familiar with those conversations told CNN.
Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza confirmed to CNN that the administration contacted him on Saturday to attend a Tuesday event at the White House.
Given the stagnation for pass bipartisan immigration bill on border securitythe Administration has been taking actions to slow and control migration, such as new guidelines and regulations that would tighten the immigration system to quickly reject immigrants who are not eligible for asylum and expedite court cases for some immigrants.
Any significant restrictions on asylum would face enormous legal and operational obstacles.
Still, the issuance of an executive order designed to curb illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border could be seen as an important political message from Biden before the 2024 elections.
Border policy is one of Biden’s worst issues in polls, and multiple surveys show that a majority of Americans disapprove of his handling of immigration.
CNN previously reported that officials were discussing announcing the executive action after Sunday’s elections in Mexico and before the first presidential debate. Biden is scheduled to travel to France on Wednesday.
Keep reading:
• Biden highlights that bipartisan immigration law would give him authority to close the border
• San Diego, California, has become the city with the highest immigrant crossings detected
• The White House confirms that it is analyzing the closure of the border for immigration control