By Kayleigh Anderson
President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order that denies migrants requests for asylum when the daily threshold of 2,500 illegal border crossings is exceeded. Since that number has already been surpassed, the order immediately went into effect. The border will only reopen when that number falls below 1,500.
This executive order has evoked strong reactions from Democrats and Republicans. Critics have said that the action is “too little, too late” and nothing more than an “election year stunt.” Supporters have referred to the order as a “critical step to fix the asylum system and speed up deportations.”
Biden’s detractors have said many Americans who are still feeling the pressure of inflation also feel the damage caused by illegal border crossing. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform’s most recent report, it costs American taxpayers a total of $150.7 billion in 2023 to house, feed, clothe, jail, adjudicate, care for, and shelter nearly 22 million illegal immigrants. That is $8,776 per illegal immigrant, per year.
Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Hauppauge) and Suffolk County Republican Committee Chairman Jesse Garcia took to social media to express their feelings about Biden’s action.
“For three years, President Biden made the border worse by repealing effective Trump-era border security policies,” LaLota said. “Recently, Biden and other spin-doctors falsely claimed only Congress could act to improve the border. Today, as his polling plummets, Biden took a long overdue action that is much more effective than the Schumer-Lankford bill. Next, President Biden should repeal his 64 executive orders and the Senate should pass H.R. 2 to keep Americans safe.”
“President Biden’s executive order is clearly a desperate attempt to create the illusion that he has done something to address the disastrous border policies of his failed administration.” Garcia said. “Since Day One of his failed administration, Joe Biden has taken 64 separate actions to completely dissolve our southern border and create this illegal migrant crisis. Even more insulting is this ‘too little, too late’ election year stunt comes just days after two of New York’s Finest were shot and wounded by an illegal migrant. The Biden campaign can see the writing on the wall and voters will not forget this charade in November.”
“The ongoing crisis at America’s southern border disproportionately impacts the brave men and women of law enforcement who are forced to clean up the mess caused by President Biden’s failure to secure our nation,” said Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (R-Garden City). “It is vital that Congress has a clear picture of the burden placed on law enforcement agencies across the United States as a result of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’s dereliction of duty, and the Police Our Border Act is a crucial step in compiling that data.”
While there is public criticism of the president’s decision there are also those who commend this action. Others are seeing this as a crucial step in the right direction in fixing the border crisis.
“I support this critical step to fix the asylum system and speed up deportations. Now it’s time for the Republicans in Congress to step up and pass right now laws to secure the border,” said U.S. congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove).
Governor Kathy Hochul said that this executive order is “a great idea” and noted that New York has had over 200,000 people come into the country over the past two years.
“I think it’s a great idea because you have to deal with the cards you’ve been dealt.’ Hochul said on MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports. “If the Republicans had not listened to Donald Trump four months ago, they would have done it the way you’re supposed to do it, you pass it through Congress… [T]hey refused to do it because they thought it would give President Biden a win. So, he did not want to have to do this, but this is what we have to deal with. So, this will give us a place.”
Hochul said the executive order will provide “an opportunity to have a little bit of a pause on this. Let people apply for asylum legally, before they get to the borders. And we need more judges and a better process.”