Watchdog Criticizes Biden Border Plan for Lacking Solutions

(UnitedHeadlines.com) – An analysis by the American Immigration Council, an immigration policy think tank, found that President Joe Biden‘s new border security policy would not do much to solve the crisis at the southern border.

Biden signed an executive order on June 4 aimed at tightening security at the border due to what he said was “Republican obstruction” of the Senate’s bipartisan border bill that failed to pass earlier this year. The order closes the border if, for seven consecutive days, more than 2,500 illegal immigrants cross the border each day. Illegal immigrants found crossing the border between ports of entry while the border is closed would not be able to claim asylum and would be sent back to Mexico or their countries of origin. The border will not reopen until two weeks after crossings decrease to less than 1,500 border crossings daily for seven consecutive days.

According to the analysis, the policy is the administration “essentially crossing its fingers that the asylum system will fix itself.”

The American Immigration Council noted that, based on historical trends, “it is highly unlikely” that the border will reopen as data shows that in five out of the last six fiscal years, average border crossings have surpassed 1,500 crossings for “every month but one.” However, the report adds that there could be a drop off in apprehensions, temporarily, as illegal immigrants take a “wait and see” approach to the border policy change.

According to the analysis, solving the crisis at the border requires the United States to stop people from leaving their homes and make “life harder” for the illegal immigrants who have already entered the U.S. The report called for strengthening the U.S. asylum system, creating “new pathways” for people to enter the United States without illegally crossing the border. However, the report states that “an infusion of resources from Congress” would be needed to accomplish the idea.

Border crossings on June 5, the first day Biden’s executive order took effect, remained at a similar level to the weeks before the order with Border Patrol agents apprehending almost 4,000 illegal immigrants.