(UnitedVoice.com) – President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) are locked in a battle over the border. The president agreed to major policy concessions, but Republicans in the Senate killed the bipartisan bill after Johnson said it would never pass his chamber. Now that the legislation is dead, reports have indicated the president might try to use executive orders to address the problem, but the speaker isn’t buying it.
Multiple reports have surfaced that the president is considering using executive power to restrict asylum. The Hill reported Johnson issued a statement after the rumors surfaced, calling the so-called executive order “election year gimmicks.” The speaker accused the POTUS of surrendering the southern border to “cartels and smugglers” and blamed him for the fentanyl crisis, human trafficking, and the placement of asylum seekers across the country.
Johnson went on to say that Biden now “suddenly seems interested” in using executive authority that he has said he doesn’t have. “Americans have lost faith in this President and won’t be fooled” by the tricks, the congressman said.
The order would allegedly prevent people who entered the country illegally from claiming asylum. Currently, anyone who enters the country, legally or illegally, has the right to ask for refuge in America.
Sources told The New York Times that the order would also include language similar to what was in the bill that Republicans killed. That includes allowing the president to shut down the border if there’s an average of 5,000 migrants per day pouring into the country for a week or more than 8,500 in one day.
Former President Donald Trump issued a similar executive order in 2018. However, District Court Judge Jon S. Tigar blocked the policy, stating that it was unlawful for the executive branch to try to rewrite immigration law without the approval of Congress. Experts and the Biden Administration have previously said that he could not shut down the border for the same reason.
When Trump tried to unilaterally change the asylum laws, Democrats lost their minds. Biden, who is already unpopular, could face similar backlash from his party. Johnson believes the POTUS is trying to appeal to the voters who are angry with his administration’s inaction throughout his presidency. It’s unclear when he might issue the alleged executive order.
Copyright 2024, UnitedVoice.com
