President Joe Biden has said he is looking into taking executive action to put a stop to illegal border crossings despite his previous claims that he does not have the authority to do so.
The action under consideration is Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This part of the law permits the government to not allow some or all non-citizens to enter the United States illegally or pursue asylum after having been arrested for illegal border crossing.
However, the details surrounding the suggested plan have yet to be disclosed.
Tom Homan, a former Homeland Security official and acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Donald Trump, recently said that Biden’s unexpected consideration of the executive action is “too little, too late.”
He noted that the administration has “had three years to do this” and speculated that the timing of the move is not coincidentally months before the presidential election, for which Biden is currently campaigning for reelection.
During remarks at the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) being hosted in Washington, D.C. this weekend, Homan relayed a blunt warning to the millions of immigrants who have illegally settled in the United States.
“Don’t get too comfortable, because we’re coming looking for you,” he said, dismissing concerns about backlash as he said he is “used to it.”
It has been three years since both Democrats and Republicans started pressuring the White House to take action on the border. But only now has Biden acknowledged there could be an opportunity for him to put an end to the border crisis through an executive order.
Previously, the commander-in-chief has said that he has “done all I can do,” referring to the ongoing illegal immigration crisis and the threats of overhauling security and drug trafficking the situation entails.
These remarks came days after Biden endorsed a deal which would provide the president “a new emergency authority” to close the border “when it becomes overwhelmed.”
On February 13, the Senate Republicans posted on X that, in the month of January 2024, “there were 176,205 illegal border crossings.” The GOP emphasized that this amounts to “over 9 million known” illegal crossings “since Joe Biden took office,” which they argued is “destroying communities” throughout the United States.
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There were 176,205 illegal border crossings in January ALONE.
Now OVER 9 MILLION known illegal border crossings since Joe Biden took office.
Biden’s border invasion is destroying communities across America — it must STOP. pic.twitter.com/jJgzpoR43O
— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) February 13, 2024
