Biden to unveil executive order which could immediately shut down the border

Washington DC - President Joe Biden is planning to unveil an executive order to ramp up measures to prevent people seeking asylum from entering via the border with Mexico, according to media reports on Monday.

President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order which could result in an immediate closure of the Southern border.
President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order which could result in an immediate closure of the Southern border.  © REUTERS

The president's executive order foresees for the border to be closed to people seeking asylum once more than 2,500 daily unauthorized crossings are recorded, media outlets reported citing unidentified sources.

Once the number falls to under 1,500 crossings again, the border could reportedly be reopened.

Biden is expected to present the plan on Tuesday and sign a corresponding executive order, the reports said.

Nikki Haley argues it's an "easy call" for Trump as she U-turns before Election Day
Donald Trump Nikki Haley argues it's an "easy call" for Trump as she U-turns before Election Day

As the number of daily crossings from Mexico currently exceeds 2,500, the border might be closed right after the president signs the order, according to the reports.

CNN said the wording of the decree, including the daily threshold of crossings triggering a border closure, might be subject to change ahead of publication on Tuesday.

According to the current plans, migrants could still request an appointment to present their asylum application.

Unaccompanied minors are to be exempt from the new rules, according to CNN.

Biden executive order comes as 2024 election approaches

The controversial executive action is likely receive backlash from immigrants' rights advocates.

Severely restricting migration is also one of the key concerns of Donald Trump. He and Biden are all but guaranteed to face off in the November election.

In the lead-up to the vote, Trump's Republicans have accused Biden, a Democrat, of having lost control over the country's Southern border in light of high numbers of arrivals.

Mexico is a transit country on the route taken by many Latin Americans fleeing from violence, poverty, and political chaos at home – driven, in part, by generations of US intervention in the region.

Cover photo: REUTERS

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