Presidential directive to close the southern border?

The idea was present in the bipartisan agreement negotiated in the Senate to limit illegal immigration: allowing the President of the United States to close the southern border when it is overcrowded, that is, when more than 5,000 migrants per day on average are trying to cross illegally. Over the course of a week or 8,500 on a given day. After blocking this agreement, Joe Biden is considering announcing a presidential directive to the same end by relying on part of the Immigration and Nationality Act that gives the president the power to “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants.” or nonimmigrants” if their entry is deemed “harmful to the interests of the United States.” Donald Trump has used this part of the law to try to prevent citizens of Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

According to what was reported by several media outlets (here, here, here And here), Biden is also considering signing an executive order to limit immigrants' ability to seek asylum. These and other new measures could be unveiled before the State of the Union address scheduled for March 7. Actions that will be denounced by progressive and Latino groups and challenged in court, as happened with some success during Donald Trump's presidency. Measures that could allow the Democratic president to respond to widespread voter dissatisfaction with his management of the southern border and to persistent criticism from Republicans on this issue.

But even after their adoption, Biden's directives and executive orders will not be sufficient to solve the problems on the southern border, given the lack of resources necessary to secure them. According to media reports, the president intends to highlight this fact to criticize Republicans for blocking the bipartisan agreement negotiated in the Senate, which included a $20 billion envelope to hire agents to guard the border, process asylum applications and expand detention. Centers.

Immigrant advocacy groups say the president cannot prevent any immigrant from seeking asylum in the United States, whether they entered legally or illegally. More than 7 million migrants have been intercepted after crossing the border illegally since the beginning of Biden's presidency. The problem is no longer considered just a “crisis” by Republicans and Fox News, but by many Democratic mayors who have to deal with the arrival of tens of thousands of immigrants to their “sanctuary” city.

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