Biden announces executive order restricting asylum applications at the US-Mexico border: this is how it will work

That order will allow US authorities deport those who do not pass strict asylum standards when the figure of 2,500 daily arrests at the border is exceeded for an average of seven days, senior US officials detailed to the press.

The order will come into force this Tuesday because the figure of 2,500 arrests is already being exceeded with an average of 4,200 daily arrests that occurred in April, the latest official figure available.

Protocols for requesting asylum will be relaxed again once that number drops to 1,500 on average over 14 days, which could be difficult to achieve since the last time the average number of arrests fell to 1,500 was in July 2020, in the middle of the pandemic.

“The measures will not be permanent. They will be suspended when the number of migrants crossing the border between ports of entry is low enough so that the US system can safely and effectively manage border operations,” the White House added in a statement.

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As detailed by US officials, Those who arrive at the border once that 2,500 threshold is exceeded will be held to “a significantly higher standard” to qualify for asylum.

Specifically, in that instance, migrants will have to demonstrate that there is a “reasonable possibility” that they are at risk of torture or be persecuted if they are returned to their country of origin.

In any case, the officials argued that the United States will adhere to the obligations of the United Nations convention against torture, which prohibits deporting someone to a country where they may be tortured.

On the other hand, those who arrive at the border from other parts both inside and outside the American continent, such as Colombia or Ecuador, will be expelled on deportation flights.

The rule allows exceptions: unaccompanied travelers traveling north are not subject to the restrictions, as are victims of human trafficking, those facing an acute medical emergency or an extreme threat to their life and safety.
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In addition, asylum cases will continue to be processed for people who h
ave requested an appointment through the CBP One mobile application, which offers approximately 1,450 asylum appointments daily.

The president will sign the executive order, his most aggressive unilateral measure so far after seeing attempts to reach a bipartisan agreement in Congress frustrated, at an event at the White House at 2:00 p.m. local time, accompanied by several mayors of border.

This order comes six months before the elections, in which Biden aspires to be re-elected for a second term and will face former United States President Donald Trump (2017-2021) again.

With this measure, Biden tries to change his immigration policy after opinion polls revealed that this issue will have a lot of weight in achieving re-election in his revenge against the magnate and former Republican president Donald Trump (2017-2021).

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Trump’s campaign team dismissed this initiative in a statement, considering that it is not designed “for border security,” and repeated the Republican’s message that constantly insists that irregular immigrants are responsible for the increase in violent crimes in the United States. , accusation without basis in official data.

The magnate spent his term announcing his intention to build a wall on the border with Mexico and intensified his anti-immigration rhetoric to return to the White House.

Biden also aims to defuse Republican attacks and court undecided voters concerned about the immigration situation at the border.

But his plan is sure to anger members and activists of the left wing of the Democratic Party and it will almost certainly be challenged in court by civil rights groups.

More than 2.4 million migrants crossed the southern border of the United States in 2023 alone. Most of them come from Central America and Venezuela fleeing poverty, violence and natural disasters intensified by climate change.

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The figure reached a record of 10,000 people per day in December, although this number has fallen in recent months.

The Biden administration has tried to stop crossings by working in coordination with Mexico and other countries to reduce migratory flows through economic policies and the application of more restrictive laws, but polls reveal that it has not done enough for voters.