Biden Throws Support Behind Senate Border Deal, Vows Border Closure in Times of Overwhelm
President Biden declared that the border deal negotiations in the US Senate mark the toughest and fairest reforms attainable, vowing swift action to close the border upon signing the bill.
Despite bipartisan efforts, the talks face significant Republican resistance, with some linking progress on border security to further aid for Ukraine.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated in a letter to Republican members of the House of Representatives earlier in the day that the agreement was dead on arrival in its current form.
Biden, seeking reelection in the upcoming November 5 elections, has been confronted with surging numbers of migrants unlawfully crossing the US-Mexico border throughout his presidency.
Republicans argue that Biden should have maintained the stringent policies implemented by former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
This negotiated deal, if enacted into law, would constitute the toughest and fairest reforms to secure our border in the history of our nation, Biden stated. He emphasized that the bill would grant him new emergency powers to close the border when overwhelmed, a measure he intends to utilize immediately upon signing.
Trump’s Warning on Border Security Standards
The White House has agreed to impose new constraints on asylum at the border, including the establishment of an expulsion authority to swiftly return migrants to Mexico if daily encounters exceed certain thresholds. If encounters surpass 5,000 per day, the use of expulsion would become mandatory.
The proposed bill is designed with the objective of accelerating the processing of asylum claims, seeking to complete the adjudication process within a timeframe of six months, all while refraining from detaining migrants.
This proposed timeline represents a considerable improvement compared to the existing system, which frequently results in lengthy delays spanning several years before asylum cases are resolved.
Trump, on the other hand, issued a warning, expressing reservations about endorsing any agreement that does not meet the anticipated standards set by Republicans in terms of border security.
Biden also called on Congress to allocate the funding he requested in October to fortify the border, including additional resources for border patrol agents, immigration judges, asylum officers, and advanced inspection technology to combat fentanyl smuggling.
