The passage discusses the Biden administration considering executive action to restrict asylum claims from migrants who crossed the US-Mexico border illegally, in response to over 7 million illegal border crossings during Biden’s presidency overwhelming the immigration system.
This is seen as a move reminiscent of Trump-era policies and prompted backlash from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who argued seeking asylum is a legal right and the administration should not mimic Trump’s approaches but commit to progressive principles.
“Doing Trump impressions isn’t how we beat Trump,” AOC wrote on X.
I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created. As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, “the border never closes.”
If this bill reaches the House, it will be…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 5, 2024
“Seeking asylum is a legal right of all people. In the face of authoritarian threat, we should not buckle on our principles – we should commit to them,” she said.
“The mere suggestion is outrageous and the President should refuse to sign it.”
The White House spokesman did not deny the plans, but said legislative reform is still preferred, though House Republicans have rejected the administration’s proposals.
“The Administration spent months negotiating in good faith to deliver the toughest and fairest bipartisan border security bill in decades because we need Congress to make significant policy reforms and to provide additional funding to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system,” spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández stated.
“No executive action, no matter how aggressive, can deliver the significant policy reforms and additional resources Congress can provide and that Republicans rejected,” he said. “We continue to call on Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to pass the bipartisan deal to secure the border.”
