Biden Signs Executive Order Pausing Asylum Claims at Southern Border

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday shutting down asylum requests at the southern border.

Details: The order pauses asylum claims when the average daily rate of claims is above 2,500. It is currently above that limit, so claims will immediately be paused. The last time claims were below this limit was in 2020, during the COVID-10 pandemic. There are exceptions to the closure, such as in the case of unaccompanied minors. 

Key Quotes: A senior administration official stated, “individuals who cross the southern border unlawfully or without authorization will generally be ineligible for asylum, absent exceptionally compelling circumstances, unless they are accepted by the proclamation.” Following the announcement, former President Donald Trump’s campaign released a statement reading, “Crooked Joe Biden is only pretending to secure the border because he’s tanking in the polls,” Trump’s campaign wrote Tuesday morning. “This crisis wasn’t borne only from Biden’s extreme weakness and incompetence, it was by design from the start.”

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum emphasized the political tightrope Biden is walking as he works to sway moderate voters, who have indicated greater trust in Trump’s handling of immigration, toward his reelection campaign while also not alienating pro-immigration progressive voters. Apart from quoting administration officials explaining the order, coverage from the Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) included only quotes critical of the decision. NBC News (Lean Left bias) noted that Trump attempted to enact similar measures during his presidency but was blocked by the courts.