The Biden administration is reportedly preparing an executive action to temporarily shut down the southern border.
According to a report from PBS NewsHour, the Biden Administration will use a section of U.S. immigration law known as 212(f), granting the president the authority to suspend the entry of immigrants into the country.
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The big picture: The proposed order would establish a daily threshold for migrant encounters at the southern border.
- If this threshold is surpassed for seven consecutive days, the border would be closed to migrants until the daily encounters fall back below the specified limit. However, unaccompanied children may be exempt from this restriction based on humanitarian grounds.
- The initiative mirrors aspects of a bipartisan border measure that was recently defeated in the Senate, indicating a potential shift in border control strategy by the Biden administration.
What we’re watching: While the order may be issued by the White House as early as next week, a final decision has not been made.
- To exercise this new authority, the president must demonstrate that allowing the entry of illegal migrants would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, according to PBS.
