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Where Are Biden’s Expected Executive Actions On Border?

Crime and Justice News

A month ago, the White House was openly considering a string of executive actions to curb migration at the southern border. No announcements were made. And now, immigration advocates who had been engaged with the Biden administration about the moves say they no longer appear imminent. Administration officials are still weighing actions, including restrictions on asylum, particularly as border crossings are expected to surge in line with seasonal migration patterns later this spring, Politico reports. Inside the White House, aides do not feel a sense of urgency like they did before, even as the issue of immigration remains a chief concern for voters. The administration’s change in posture is owed, in part, to the downtick in migration numbers after a record-breaking number of illegal crossings in December. There remain questions about whether any action taken by the White House would pass legal muster. While internal conversations around policy moves have continued, Biden aides note that media coverage is less intense than it was earlier this year.


“They’re in that pretty classic mode of, nothing is on fire right now,” said an immigration policy advocate. The administration could still move forward unilaterally in the weeks or months ahead, a White House official said, adding that no specific action has been confirmed or ruled out. The elongated time frame reflects a newfound belief that the president now has some space to deal with the matter. The president’s team believes congressional Republicans’ rejection of a bipartisan border deal and the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas allowed them to neutralize the political backlash Biden was facing and even reap some benefits in the polls. With border crossings down from their December highs, White House officials are keen on giving Biden’s recent border messaging blitz — that Republicans are using the issue for political gain — as much runway as possible.

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