After nearly eight million apprehensions at the southern border since taking office, President Joe Biden is finally set to execute an executive action this week that would address illegal immigration.
But with just five months until the 2024 presidential election, House Speaker Mike Johnson says it’s “too little, too late” and Republicans have called the move an electoral “gimmick.”
It also claims that despite plans for a single executive order that could close the border, Biden and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have already enacted 64 other actions since January 2021 “to open the border.”
Illegal immigration and the crisis at the southern border remain top issues for voters heading into November, and Biden is looking to finally act after years of pressure to implement an offensive.
Some estimates put the number of illegal immigrants living in the United States at more than 20 million. And the number of escapes continues to elude even top immigration officials.
Customs and Border Protection has detained more than 7.8 million migrants at the southern border since President Joe Biden took office
The Biden White House repeatedly stated that Congress should be the entity that stops the record flow of illegal immigration at the southern border. But now the Democratic president plans to announce an executive order on Tuesday.
The action would represent the most restrictive border policies proposed by Biden and is reminiscent of former President Donald Trump’s policies to block migration at the southern border, actions that were challenged in federal courts by Democrats.
On Sunday, Rep. Johnson (R-La.) would not congratulate Biden for acting on immigration after three and a half years of digressions and implementing policies that counteract limiting migration.
Asked if Biden deserves credit for finally acting, the president said, “No… it’s too little, too late.”
“He’s desperately trying to show the American people that he wants to address the problem that he created,” Johnson told Fox News on Sunday. ‘We documented 64 specific actions that President Biden and Secretary (Alejandro Mayorkas) of the (Department of Homeland Security) took…over the course of three and a half years, beginning on the first day that President Biden (took office), to open the border.’
‘They did it intentionally; It has had catastrophic effects on our country that we will live with for decades to come,” he continued.
Several officials familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that Biden plans to enact parts of the failed Senate border deal in his executive order. This would include denying entry to migrants at certain thresholds, such as limiting it when encounters reach 4,000 per day over the course of a week.
Other Republican lawmakers claim the executive action is a “stunt” and insist Biden is finally taking action because he was forced to face the reality of how important the border and illegal immigration are to voters heading to the polls. in November.
“Don’t be fooled by Biden’s latest border move, which is nothing more than a political stunt,” Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) posted on X. “He’s trying to look tough on immigration because he’s losing ground.” in the polls.’
He added: “Remember, he has already let in more than 10 million illegal aliens, and his new executive order will likely lead to at least 1.5 million more illegal crossings over the next year.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also wrote on
President Joe Biden plans to announce his most restrictive policies at the southern border via executive order this week
The order could block illegal immigration at the southern border once apprehensions reach a certain threshold per day. Pictured: Members of the Texas National Guard install a barbed wire border fence in El Paso on April 2.
The authority the White House hopes to use in the executive order comes from Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. That law gives presidents leeway to block the entry of certain immigrants if it would be “detrimental” to national interests.
Trump repeatedly relied on that section of the law to prevent certain groups of immigrants from crossing into the United States illegally.
The White House previously called on Congress to pass new laws to expand Biden’s presidential authority over the border, but a bipartisan border deal failed to get off the ground earlier this year.
Presidents using section 212(f) to restrict immigration do not require congressional approval. But Biden has repeatedly said he wants new laws from Congress to fix the border.
It appears the White House has decided they can go it alone, as Republicans have accused, after the Senate deal failed twice.
Johnson argued Sunday that Biden is only taking the lead on the border issue because recent polls suggest immigration is one of Americans’ top concerns.
“Now he wants to issue some kind of executive order, I guess to show that, ‘Oh, he really cares about this issue.'” “The only reason he’s doing it is because the polls say it’s the biggest problem in America,” Johnson told Fox News.
