Biden orders to block asylum seekers at the border with Mexico

The president of United States, Joe Bidenannounced on Tuesday the temporary closure of the border with Mexico to migrants when the number of irregular entries into the country is excessive, a drastic measure on a key issue to achieve re-election in the November presidential elections.

The 81-year-old Democratic leader will sign a decree that will allow authorities to suspend the entry of asylum seekers and migrants when there are more than 2,500 cases in a single day, the White House reported. The text will also facilitate deportations to Mexico.

“For Joe Biden, the safety of American families must always come first. That’s why the president announces new historic executive actions to prevent migrants who cross our southern border illegally from receiving asylum.”said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.

The head of state himself is scheduled to speak at 2:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT), the White House indicated.

Officials noted that the restrictions are expected to take effect immediately, as they will be put in place when illegal migrant crossings exceed 2,500 per day, and the numbers are already above that threshold.

The official text provides for the reopening of the border when the number of asylum seekers is less than 1,500 per day.

“We expect the order to take effect immediately.“, a Biden administration official told reporters.

Trump’s rhetoric

Biden is trying to change his immigration policy after opinion polls revealed that this issue will have a lot of weight in achieving re-election in his revenge against the magnate and former Republican president Donald Trump (2017-2021).

Trump’s campaign team dismissed this initiative in a statement, considering that it was not designed “for border security”, and repeated the message of the Republican who constantly insists that irregular immigrants are responsible for the increase in violent crimes in the United States, an accusation without any basis in official data.

The magnate spent his term announcing his intention to build a wall on the border with Mexico and intensified his anti-immigration rhetoric to return to the White House.

“Millions of people have entered our country, and now, after almost four years of his weak, failed leadership, his pathetic leadership, corrupt Joe Biden intends to finally do something about the border“Trump, 77, exclaimed in a video posted Tuesday on his social network Truth Social.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, quickly called Biden’s move “showcase”.

However, the White House has highlighted that Biden is trying to confront an immigration system “failed for decades” and blames Republicans in Congress for not cooperating and blocking billions of dollars for border policies.

He looks at re-election

Biden aims to defuse Republican attacks and court undecided voters concerned about the immigration situation at the border.

But his plan is sure to anger members and activists of the left wing of the Democratic Party and will almost certainly be challenged in court by civil rights groups.

More than 2.4 million migrants crossed the southern border of the United States in 2023 alone. Most come from Central America and Venezuela fleeing poverty, violence and natural disasters intensified by climate change.

The figure reached a record of 10,000 people per day in December, although this number has fallen in recent months.

The Biden administration has tried to stop crossings by working in coordination with Mexico and other countries to reduce migratory flows through economic policies and the application of more restrictive laws, but polls reveal that it has not done enough for voters.

Biden spoke on Monday with Claudia Sheinbaum, the first female president-elect of Mexico, to congratulate her on her resounding victory on Sunday and promise her a “strong and collaborative partnership” on issues such as migration.