The Difficult Decision: How Biden’s Order to Close the U.S.–Mexico Border Will Be Implemented

U.S. President Joe Biden recently issued a sweeping executive order aimed at curbing record migrant arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Left-wing Democrats, activists, and the UN have voiced concerns, while Republicans have criticized the order as an election-year ruse.

Observers saw Biden's latest measures as a change in the policies that brought him to the White House 4 years ago and bring him closer to the immigration policies advocated by his Republican rival, Donald Trump.

It is noteworthy that Trump had tried during his term to build a wall on the Mexican border, and had greatly intensified his anti-immigration rhetoric, while seeking to return to the White House.

He also spoke repeatedly about immigrants “poisoning the blood of the United States” and said he would carry out the largest deportation of immigrants in history as soon as he took office.

Although their number has decreased in recent months, reaching about 179,000 last April, polls show that this issue is one of the biggest problems that Biden faces in the elections.

New Restrictions

U.S. President Joe Biden issued orders to temporarily close the border with Mexico to asylum seekers and illegal immigrants starting June 5, in an effort to address one of his political weaknesses in his re-election battle against Donald Trump next November.

“This action will help to gain control of our borders, restore order to the process,” Biden said.

The White House explained that the restrictions will be implemented when the average number of weekly border crossings reaches 2,500 migrants.

Officials noted that this will make it easier for immigration officials to quickly exclude individuals who have no legal basis to remain in the United States, noting that the borders will reopen to asylum seekers when their average weekly numbers reach 1,500 immigrants.

Illegal border crossings have risen to record levels under the Biden administration, especially Central American and Venezuelan immigrants fleeing poverty, violence, and disasters exacerbated by climate change.

It is noteworthy that more than 6.4 million immigrants were stopped while crossing the border into the United States during Biden’s administration.

Biden's election campaign seeks to curb Republican attacks on the issue of border security and to anticipate the first presidential debate that will be held on June 27 on CNN.

Later, Trump criticized Biden's recent order, vowing to cancel it if he wins the presidential elections in less than five months, and threatening what he called the largest deportation operation in history.

Trump has made hard-line immigration policies the focus of his political identity since he entered politics in 2016, and Democrats have often criticized him on this issue.

He recently said that Biden's order is not a plan for border security, but rather a concession to the fact that he has lost control of the border.

“On the first day of my administration, I will rescind Crook Joe's outrageous executive order, accusing him of willfully destroying our sovereignty and borders,” Trump added.

Main Issue

The issue of immigration and border security ignites a state of polarization between Democrats and Republicans, especially in the southern states.

The Biden administration is looking to convince skeptical American voters that it is working hard to tighten border security, while Republicans and Trump are intensifying their attacks on Biden's policies, accusing his policies of contributing to an unprecedented influx of immigrants and leading to the spread of drugs and crime.

President Biden's decision raised concerns on the left wing of the Democratic Party and among civil rights groups; the United Nations also expressed concern about its consequences.

A number of activists and Democratic representatives held a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol building to criticize Biden's decision.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal said that she was extremely disappointed by the decision, which she described as a step in the wrong direction.

Gerlene Joseph, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, who works with immigrants arriving from Haiti at the border, criticized Biden's decision.

She said that the decision was a direct attack on the inherent human right to seek asylum.

A spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency said people who fear persecution should have access to a safe place.

The Biden administration is preparing to defend its new policies in the courts against any legal challenges it may face.

Polls indicate Americans' growing concern about this issue, which voters have placed as the main issue facing the United States, and sometimes precedes the economic issue.

Biden’s new order comes after the collapse of a border bill submitted by Democrats and rejected by Republicans.

Republicans in the Senate blocked a bill submitted by Democrats to tighten border security and give the president the authority to close the border if immigration levels exceed certain limits, after pressure exerted by Trump on the Republican Party to kill any deal that could achieve success for the Democrats and Biden’s election campaign.

This sparked sharp criticism from Democrats, who described Republican obstruction of the bill as an attempt to politicize the issue rather than solve problems at the border.

It is expected that the provisions of the new order will be similar to the provisions contained in the border deal that Republicans in Congress rejected, which allows the president to close the border if the number of immigrants each day over a 7-day period reaches more than 5,000 migrants.

But these measures do not apply to unaccompanied children, which may prompt parents to send their children across the border alone, exacerbating the problem further.

The new U.S. measures mean that Mexico will be willing to take back immigrants who will be stopped and denied entry to the United States, placing additional burdens on Mexico.

Biden's recent order is the latest in a series of measures under the Biden and his predecessor Trump's administrations to deter asylum seekers, none of which have had a lasting impact.

In May 2023, Biden imposed similar obstacles to asylum for anyone who crossed the border illegally after passing through another country, such as Mexico.

A federal appeals court has allowed these restrictions to remain in place while advocates appeal them, but that appears to have little effect.

Illegal crossings decreased after the restrictions came into force last year, but the calm was temporary since the number of inspection staff was insufficient for such a huge task.

In turn, Washington-based activist Omar Taha explained in a statement to Al-Estiklal that “Biden’s order is currently in effect because daily unauthorized crossings have reached a threshold of more than 2,500 encounters with immigrants each day for a week at the southern border.

“The issue of immigration has become a headache for Biden in an election year, but a ban on asylum is illegal just as it was when Trump unsuccessfully tried it,” he said.