Biden Raises Border Wall Before Presidential Election... "To Sign Executive Order Restricting Illegal Immigration on the 4th"

Ban on Illegal Immigration Asylum Applications and Forced Deportations
Administrative Order Issued as Border Control Bill Stalls Due to Republican Opposition
27% of Americans Say Immigration Is the US's Top Priority Issue

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order that bans asylum applications from illegal immigrants and mandates their forced deportation to their home countries. As illegal immigration has emerged as a key issue influencing the outcome of the U.S. presidential election this November, this move reflects President Biden's decision to shift from a conciliatory immigration policy to a more hawkish stance.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 3rd (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources, reported that President Biden plans to sign this executive order jointly with mayors of major cities along the southern U.S. border on the 4th. This measure aims to limit the influx of immigrants amid growing voter dissatisfaction over illegal immigration ahead of the November election.

The Biden administration expects this executive order to block Republican attacks on the illegal immigration issue. Earlier, as public opinion worsened around illegal immigration, President Biden proposed a bill to strengthen border control earlier this year and urged Congress to pass it. However, Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, did not cooperate in passing the bill. The bill would have granted the president the authority to close the border if the number of immigrants attempting to cross illegally exceeded an average of 4,000 per day over a week. The executive order Biden is set to sign the next day is also reported to include similar provisions. It is based on Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the president to block entry of foreigners deemed harmful to the country.

However, given that recent intensified arrests of illegal immigrants have reduced the number of border crossings, the executive order is unlikely to take immediate effect. Last month, the average daily number of immigrants crossing into the U.S. was 3,500, the lowest level recorded during the Biden administration.

White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez stated, "Although Republican lawmakers have decided to obstruct additional border enforcement, President Biden will not stop fighting to provide border and immigration officials with the resources necessary to protect the border," adding, "The Biden administration continues to review a series of policy options and is committed to responding to repair the broken immigration system."

President Biden's decision to resort to an executive order to block illegal immigration reflects the significant voter dissatisfaction with immigration policies. According to a Gallup poll conducted in April, 27% of respondents identified immigration as the most important issue facing the U.S. This marked the third consecutive month immigration was cited as the top issue, the first time in 24 years that the same issue has held the number one spot for three months in a row. In a poll conducted by WSJ at the end of February, 65% of respondents opposed the Biden administration's border security response, and 71% said immigration and border security policies were heading in the wrong direction.