WASHINGTON: The White House has informed lawmakers that President Joe Biden would soon sign an executive order that would shut down asylum request at the U.S.-Mexico border once the number of daily encounters reaches 2,500 at the ports of entry.
According to several people familiar with the developments the border would be reopened once that number declines to 1,500. President Biden is expected to unveil his plan at the White House on Tuesday which marks his most aggressive unilateral measure to control the numbers at the border.
Five people familiar with the developments confirmed to the media that the number of asylum seekers was 2,500 on Monday, while two of the people said the number stood at 1,500.
The figures are daily averages over a week. All of the people requested anonymity to discuss an executive order that is not public yet. Other border activity, like trade, is expected to continue.
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Senior White House officials have been informing the parliamentarians about details of the planned order ahead of the formal rollout on Tuesday.
The US president has been deliberating for months to act on his own after bipartisan law to clamp down on asylum at the border collapsed due to the non-cooperation of Republicans.
The party defected from the deal at the urging of the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Biden wanted to bring in an executive action even though the number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border was reduced for months, partly because of an effort by the Mexican authorities.
