Migrants surrender to the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border wall from Mexico near Campo, California, about 50 miles from San Diego, on March 13. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order, allowing the United States to turn away migrants who claim asylum once daily crossings surge above 2,500, according to sources familiar with the plan. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI |
License PhotoJune 3 (UPI) — President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday that would allow the United States to turn away migrants who claim asylum once daily crossings surge above 2,500, according to sources familiar with the plan.
The executive order, using section 212 (f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, is scheduled to be signed Tuesday as Biden faces ongoing political pressure over his handling of the border, sources told ABC News, Politico and USA Today. Former President Donald Trump used the same section of the immigration act when he restricted border crossings during his term.
“As we have said before, the administration continues to explore a series of policy options and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system,” the White House said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Brownsville, Texas, Mayor John Cowan also confirmed the report, telling ABC News that he will be attending a meeting at the White House for an immigration announcement. El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said he also planned to be in attendance.
“I look forward to hearing more about the president’s plan on Tuesday, and we stand ready to work with our partners at the local, state and federal level on this effort,” Leeser said.
“Our immigration system is broken and it is critical that Congress work on a bipartisan long-term plan to work with other countries in order to create a more manageable, humane and sustainable immigration system for our country.”
Last month, the U.S. Senate voted down a bipartisan border bill for the second time. The bill set conditions for border closures to come after an average of 4,000 crossings per day within a week, or at 5,000 migrants in any given day.
While Republicans argued that number was too high, the Biden campaign claimed the GOP was not invested in finding legislative solutions.
On Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said any executive action on immigration now would be “too little, too late.”
“President Biden has engineered a wide-open southern border and is now trying to convince Americans that he wants to address the chaos he created,” Johnson wrote Sunday in a post on X.
Progressives argue an executive order on the border would only concede the immigration debate to conservatives.
“I anticipate that if the president would take executive action, and whatever that executive action would entail, it will be challenged in the court,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters last month.
The timing of Biden’s expected immigration order Tuesday would come two days after Mexico elected its first female president, former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum. It would also come as Biden heads to France this week to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
