House Speaker Mike Johnson, a prominent US Republican leader, criticized President Joe Biden’s endorsement of the Senate’s “border deal” in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Johnson contended that Biden has the authority to unilaterally close the southern border with Mexico through executive action, without requiring Congressional approval. He urged the president to use his existing legal authority to address the record-high number of illegal crossings, proposing solutions such as ending catch-and-release, reinstating the Remain in Mexico program, and renewing border wall construction.
Many of Johnson’s proposed measures align with policies implemented by Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, who is campaigning for a return to the White House in 2024 with a promise to shut down the border and deport a significant number of illegal aliens on day one of his presidency. Trump, like Johnson, dismissed the idea that Congressional approval is necessary to address the surge of illegal immigrants.
President Biden, however, praised the Senate’s border legislation, calling it “the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border.” He highlighted the emergency authority granted by the legislation to shut down the border when overwhelmed. Johnson, in contrast, warned that the deal could face opposition in the House, potentially being “dead on arrival.”
The reported details of the immigration deal include funding for border enforcement in exchange for increased military aid to Ukraine, a provision contested by many Republican lawmakers. The legislation is said to allow up to 5,000 illegal crossings per day before denying access to the asylum system, potentially resulting in 150,000 unlawful crossings per month or 1.8 million per year. Expulsions would occur for those entering after this threshold, with asylum claims reopening only when daily crossings fell below 3,750.
As of December 2023, US Customs and Border Protection reported a record 302,024 encounters at the southern border, with the majority occurring between ports of entry, highlighting the severity of the ongoing border crisis.