US Shuts Off Asylum To Migrants Crossing Border Illegally

Joe Biden’s administration in the US is swiftly using its power to deny asylum to migrants who enter the country illegally.

After a bipartisan proposal failed earlier this year, Biden revealed the expansive executive action Tuesday afternoon, June 4, at the White House in an attempt to utilise executive action to improve the situation on the border.

This move comes as Biden uses the same power that former President Donald Trump attempted to wield while in office in an attempt to gain the upper hand on immigration matters only weeks before the first presidential debate.

Biden stated that he was forced to take executive action after Republicans in Congress rejected a bipartisan border agreement during a speech at the White House.

“I’m moving past Republican obstruction and using the executive authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address the border,” Biden said.

Border authorities encountered about 3,500 illegal border crossers on Monday, according to a Homeland Security official. This number was above the threshold required for the executive action to take effect.

The number of individuals crossing the US southern border has consistently been a challenge for the Biden administration, and Homeland Security officials have recently been arresting just under 4,000 migrants daily at the US-Mexico border.

The new executive action bars migrants who cross the border illegally from seeking asylum, a departure from decades-long protocol. Unless they meet certain exemptions, migrants will be turned away to Mexico or returned to their country of origin.

“Frankly, I would have preferred to address this issue through bipartisan legislation because that’s the only way to actually get the kind of system we have now that’s broken, fixed. To hire more Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, and more judges. But Republicans have left me no choice,” Biden said in the speech from the East Room of the White House.

In response to criticism from progressives and others who compared the action to those made under Trump, the president said, “For those who say the steps I’ve taken are too strict, I say to you that be patient and the goodwill of the American people is wearing thin right now. Doing nothing is not an option. We have to act. We must act consistent with both our law and our values. Our values as Americans. I take these steps today, not to walk away from who we are as Americans, to make sure we preserve who we are for future generations to come,” he said.

Biden also chastised Trump outright.

“I will never demonize immigrants, I will never refer to immigrants as poisoning the blood of a country. And further, I’ll never separate children from their families at the border. I will not ban people from this country because of their religious beliefs. I will not use the US military to go into neighbourhoods all across the country to pull millions of people out of their homes and away from their families, to put detention camps while awaiting deportation, as my predecessor says he’ll do if he occupies this office again,” Biden said.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli