White House Defends Border Policy Amid Criticism From Opponents, Advocates

The White House worked to address concerns that seems like these could become the norm at the southern border, with the lifting of Title 42. President Joe Biden's top immigration official on Wednesday announced a new rule, under which migrants who cross between ports of entry will quickly be removed and ineligible for asylum, except in some cases. Those who make an appointment through the CBP-1 app will still be able to seek asylum protection. If anyone arrives at our southern border after midnight tonight, they will be presumed ineligible for asylum and subject to steeper consequences for unlawful entry, including a minimum five-year ban on reentry and potential criminal prosecution. Biden says Congress needs to do more. I asked the Congress for a lot more money for the border patrol. They didn't do it.

It's crazy hard. Biden's opponents say he's not doing enough to keep Americans safe. Biden border policies jeopardize national security and endanger all American families everywhere of terrorist attack by illegal aliens. But immigration advocates say Biden's system is too tough. This rule will only jeopardize the lives of people seeking safety and create even more chaos and suffering at our southern border. And as the administration well knows, it's also blatantly illegal. Essentially, the new rule combines and repackages two Trump-era asylum bans that President Biden himself denounced on the campaign trail, and both of which were struck down as unlawful in federal court.

The administration disagrees. This president has led the unprecedented expansion of lawful pathways. We stand markedly different than the prior administration. As the debate rages in Washington, there is no sign the country's divided Congress will agree on new policies to address the number of migrants clamoring for a new life here in America. Anita Palvio, News, Washington.

U.S. Immigration policy, title 42