(DCWatchdog.com) – In what would a tremendously belated move, President Joe Biden is contemplating executive measures that would permit him to close the US-Mexico border when daily migrant crossings reach 4,000, according to a report citing a source with close ties to the White House.
This directive would align with a clause in a bipartisan border bill that did not pass in the Senate in February, which would have authorized the president to expel migrants once border crossings hit the same daily average, The New York Post reported.
The proposed legislation would have endowed the Secretary of Homeland Security with the discretionary power to execute removals.
However, it stipulated that deportations become mandatory if illegal entries exceed 5,000 per day over a one-week span.
The bill included a provision to suspend this authority two weeks after the daily average fell to 75% of those figures.
A federal government insider confirmed to The Post that an executive order to curtail entries was forthcoming, although the precise timing of its announcement was still uncertain.
The White House has declined to comment on the matter.
In April, authorities at the southwestern border apprehended an average of 5,990 migrants daily, as per data from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
This number does not account for the so-called “gotaways” who evade detection and capture.
Historically, migrant crossings decrease during the summer months, due to the harsh conditions; however, data from the previous year shows a significant increase from June through September.
Currently, the US Border Patrol is detaining over 10,000 migrants nationwide, based on internal CBP statistics exclusively acquired by The Post.
Five Border Patrol sectors are currently exceeding their capacity for migrant detention, with the San Diego area holding 1,675 migrants in facilities designed to accommodate only 1,000.
A spokeswoman for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has consistently urged Biden to take decisive action on the border, remarked that the executive order would “prove” that the president “doesn’t need Congress to pass legislation to take action on the border.”
In January, Biden stated that congressional approval of the border bill was necessary before he could implement further measures to restrict illegal immigration, asserting, “I’ve done all I can do.”
“Just give me the power. I’ve asked from the very day I got into office. Give me the Border Patrol, give me the people, the judges — give me the people who can stop this and make it work right,” he claimed.
Yet, the president’s stance has shifted as recent public polls consistently indicate a challenging re-election campaign in November, with illegal immigration and enhanced border security being primary voter concerns.
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