The American president, Joe Biden, This Tuesday, he ordered new restrictions on the entry of migrants in order to reinforce the border between the United States and Mexicoa drastic measure ahead of the presidential elections in November. Migration management became a central issue for voters, outperforming the economy and inflation, according to a survey by the Gallup consulting firm published at the end of April. Trying to distance himself from former president and presidential candidate Donald Trump, Biden said he will never “demonize” migrants and promised to work with Mexico as an “equal partner.”
“I will never demonize immigrants”
Biden announced the temporary closure of the border with Mexico when the number of irregular entries into the country exceeds the threshold of 2,500 cases in the same day, something that is already happening in the United States. The decree signed by the Democratic president allows authorities to suspend the entry of asylum seekers and migrants when that limit is exceeded, and facilitates deportations to Mexico. The border will reopen when the daily number of applicants falls below 1,500 people.
“This action will help us regain control of our border,” he said. Biden in a speech at the White House in which he added: “We will continue working with our Mexican neighbors instead of attacking themand we will build a strong relationship.” The president promised that he will continue to collaborate with Mexico as “an equal partner” and recalled that on Monday he spoke by phone with the winner of last Sunday’s elections in Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who will be the first woman in governing the country.
The Democratic leader focused part of his speech on trying to distinguish himself from Trump, who a few months ago ordered his fellow Republicans in Congress to vote against a bill negotiated by both parties and that included some of the provisions announced by the executive order. Biden referred to that decision by the most Trumpist Republicans and described it as an “extremely cynical political move.”
Biden He also took the opportunity to defend himself against the strong criticism that the order received from some Democratic legislators, and said that he believes that “Immigration has always been a lifeline in America”. “So I will never demonize immigrants. I will never refer to them as poison in the blood of our country,” he warned in reference to Trump, who declared that they are “poisoning the blood of the country,” echoing words used by Adolf Hitler.
“I will never separate families from their children at the border“I will never prohibit a group of people from entering the country because of their religious beliefs,” Biden added, alluding to the policies implemented by Trump to separate families at the border or veto the entry of citizens from Muslim-majority countries. The president seeks to change its immigration policy after opinion polls revealed that this issue will have a lot of weight in the presidential elections.
Trump’s reaction
Trump’s campaign team dismissed the 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. , an accusation that has no basis in official data.
The magnate spent his term announcing his intention to build a wall on the border with Mexico, and now he has intensified his anti-immigration rhetoric to return to the White House. “Millions of people have entered our country, and now, after almost four years of his weak and failed leadershiphis pathetic leadership, corrupt Joe Biden finally intends to do something about the border“he exclaimed trump77, in a video posted on his Truth Social network.
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. The figure reached a record of 10,000 people per day in December, although this number has fallen in recent months.
“A punitive action towards immigrants”
The Biden administration 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 did not do enough for voters. The executive order generated a wave of criticism from activists, who compare the measure with actions taken by the Trump administration.
One of the first to react was the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which warned in a statement that the order “echoes” the entry ban issued by Trump in 2018. ACLU announced that it will challenge the executive order in the Supreme Courtjust as it did in 2018 when it managed to stop a similar measure issued by the Trump administration.
For Angélica Salas, director of the Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants (CHIRLA), the initiative represents irreversible damage for asylum seekers who are denied entry. “It is a political and punitive action towards immigrants and we will fight against them in the courts,” said Salas.
Rejection of the measure even came from Biden allies such as California Senator Alex Padilla. “By reviving Trump’s asylum ban, President Biden undermines American values and abandons our nation’s obligations to provide people fleeing persecution, violence, and authoritarianism the opportunity to seek refuge in the United States” Padilla said in a statement.
