WASHINGTON- In his attempt to save a border deal in Congress that would also free up money for Ukraine, US President Joe Biden He reiterated Saturday evening that he would be willing to close the U.S.-Mexico border if lawmakers would just send him a bill to sign.
Biden — who is also seeking to quell GOP criticism of his handling of migration at the border — said this at a rally in South Carolina would close the border “immediately” if Congress approves the proposed deal. The framework has not been formally agreed upon by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and would face an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
“A bipartisan bill would be good for America, it would help fix our broken immigration system and provide fast access to those who deserve to be here, and Congress must get it,” Biden said.
He also stated, “It would also give me, as President, emergency authority to close the border until it can be brought back under control.” “If this bill were law today, I would close the border immediately and fix the problem quickly. “
The agreement negotiated in Congress requires the United States to close the border if about 5,000 immigrants cross without legal authorization on a given day. Last year, some daily numbers exceeded 10,000.
Migration disaster
In a letter released Saturday in response to Biden's comments, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) emphasized that Biden does not need congressional action to close the border and urged him to “take immediate action to to reverse the catastrophe he caused.” ”
Immigration remains a top concern for voters in the 2024 election. An AP-NORC poll earlier this month found that the share of those expressing concerns about immigration rose to 35% from 27% last year.
The majority of Republicans, 55%, believe the government should focus on immigration in 2024, while 22% of Democrats rated immigration as a priority. This represents an increase of 45% and 14% in December 2022, respectively.
Arrests for unauthorized border crossings from Mexico reached a record high in December since the monthly figures were published.
The Border Patrol counted 249,785 apprehensions at the border with Mexico in December, 31% more than the 191,112 in November and 13% more than the 222,018 in December 2022, the previous all-time high.
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SPRING: AP