Biden Gets Tough on Immigration, Executive Actions Addressing Migrant Crisis and Asylum on the Horizon — Visa Lawyer Blog — February 23, 2024
Ahead of the U.S. presidential election, President Biden is considering the rollout of a set of new executive actions aimed at curbing illegal migration at the U.S. southern border and measures that would create new obstacles for asylum applicants. Individuals speaking on condition of anonymity have said these policies could come as soon as March 7th as part of President Biden’s State of the Union speech.
According to reports by insiders of the Biden administration, the proposals under discussion would use a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to stop migrants from requesting asylum at U.S. ports of entry once a certain number of illegal crossings has been reached.
While the exact details of the executive order are still unclear, the proposal would likely carve out several exceptions for unaccompanied minors and those who meet the requirements of the United Nations Convention Against Torture. A similar proposal was previously discussed in the U.S. Senate as part of a border deal earlier this month.
To further appease conservative voters, the Biden administration is also considering implementing policies that would make it harder for migrants to pass the initial screening of the asylum interview process. Under these proposals, the administration would elevate the “credible fear standard” of the asylum process, thereby narrowing the pool of applicants eligible to seek asylum. Those who cannot meet the elevated standard, would be swiftly deported.
These actions would most certainly invite criticism from Democrats yet receive praise from congressional Republicans who have been calling on the President to use his executive authority to address the migrant crisis at the Southern border.
An administration official further indicated that at this point in time, the President has not yet made a decision about whether he will rely solely on his executive authority to respond to the migrant crisis. However, these are options that are currently on the table.
Such actions by the President aim to deter migrants from coming to the U.S. border, while proving to voters that the administration is doing everything possible to resolve the migrant crisis and to secure our border.
As more details come to light regarding these new executive actions , we will cover them here on our blog.
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