(Daily360.com) President Joe Biden signed an executive order that would shut down the southern border when the seven-day average daily encounter exceeds 2,500. This comes amidst a presidential election campaign in which immigration is considered a key issue by voters. Under Biden’s administration, record numbers of illegal immigrants have crossed via the southern border.
Donald Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said this executive order will ultimately grant mass amnesty to illegal immigrants. Allowing 2,500 individuals to cross the border illegally every day would still be more than 900,000 crossings every year. That number does not include unaccompanied children. Also, the executive order does not address crossings via the northern border with Canada.
In Biden’s declaration, he slammed Republican lawmakers for not acting on congressional legislation that was intended to resolve concerns about the southern border. Rodney Scott, a 30-year border patrol agent that retired during the Biden administration, said the executive order is nothing more than “political theater.” He said the border became more secure through the presidencies of Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump, but faltered immediately upon President Biden’s inauguration.
Scott said the new administration stepped back from the protocols that were protecting the border. They decreased processing time and time in custody and halted any meaningful consequences for would be illegal immigrants crossing the southern border.
The measure has received heavy criticism from Democrats, Republicans, and immigrant welfare groups. Democrats and advocacy groups say this will block immigrants who are seeking safety from violent countries. Republicans say the measure doesn’t do anything to stop the overwhelming issue that has been occurring since Biden took office in 2021.
Senator Ted Cruz called the order a “political play” as an attempt by President Biden to gain support for his re-election campaign. The CEO of the immigrant advocacy group Global Refuge said the order will turn away asylum seekers for arbitrary reasons rather than considering their claims based on the merits.
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