Urgent Biden on Presidential Election: "If Too Many Refugees Arrive, I Will Close the Border"

Sudden Shift from Past Conciliatory Immigration Policy
WP "Becoming Impatient Ahead of Presidential Election"

U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized that he would close the border if too many refugees flood in. This stance contrasts with the conciliatory immigration policies he pursued during the 2020 presidential election.

On the 26th (local time), according to major foreign media such as the U.S. daily newspapers The Washington Post (WP) and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), President Biden urged the passage of a border bill currently being negotiated in the U.S. Senate. The core of this bill is to grant the president emergency authority to close the border and send refugees back when too many refugees flood into the United States.

President Biden said, "I will use this emergency authority on the very day this bill is enacted into law," and urged, "If you take border issues seriously, please pass this bipartisan bill."

This emergency authority takes effect when an average of 5,000 people per week or more than 8,500 people per day illegally cross the border. In such cases, most refugee screenings for those illegally crossing the border are suspended. However, if the number falls below 3,750 cases per day, this authority is also suspended.

President Biden's remarks contrast with the conciliatory immigration policies he showed during the 2020 presidential election. Shortly after taking office in 2021, he also halted the construction of the border wall promoted by the previous Donald Trump administration. WP analyzed that this shows how anxious President Biden is about his re-election in the upcoming November election. In fact, illegal border crossings have increased to record levels during Biden's term, becoming a political challenge for him.

[Image source=Yonhap News]