Without waiting for Congress to act, House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed President Joe Biden to change immigration immediately.
Conservatives like Johnson are speaking out against the new immigration pact, saying it allows too many people to enter the border. As Johnson pointed out in his remarks, the arrangement can allow up to 150,000 unlawful crossings monthly. But, the bill’s backers say that the idea would drastically cut down on illegal crossings if implemented.
When the number of interactions with migrants reaches 8,500 in a single day or 5,000 on average, the Department of Homeland Security is required to seal off unlawful crossings. At 4,000 interactions daily, DHS could shut down the border, and Biden has shown he would use that authority with vigor.
Before the reopening of the border for crossings other than asylum appointments at ports of entry, there must be a two-week period following the implementation of the obligatory shutdown, during which the number of unlawful crossings is decreased to about 2,000. The dramatic spike in illegal crossings suggests that the border closure could last for some time before things improve.
Johnson’s remarks came soon after Biden’s recent demand that lawmakers work together to solve the southern border immigration crisis. The stance of Biden’s administration on immigration policy changed dramatically after he made his comments.
Johnson wrote to senators working on the border accord on Friday, expressing his concern that the bipartisan agreement would encounter substantial obstacles in the House even if it were to pass the Senate.
Johnson defended the president’s ability to limit the admission of illegal immigrants in his Saturday letter to Biden, who cited Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and an Oct. 2017 decision by the Supreme Court.
The speaker reiterated his demand that the Biden administration immediately handle border security, including picking up where former President Trump left off in building the border wall, in a letter he delivered to Biden last month.
Stopping catch-and-release, ending parole exploitation, reestablishing the Remain in Mexico program, boosting the use of expedited removal power, and beginning border wall construction are all opportunities for President Biden to strengthen border security.
During his remarks on Saturday, Trump addressed the border issue and emphasized the worst-case scenario of a bad agreement as opposed to no agreement.
