The order, which was signed on Tuesday, permits the US to stop admitting non-citizens who enter the country from Mexico if the average daily encounter rate reaches 2,500 between official ports of entry.
According to the directive, the border will be closed right away because the threshold has already been reached, according to a senior administration official.
They also stated that the border, which the White House describes as “overwhelmed,” would only reopen when there are no more than 1,500 encounters with migrants each day at the US border.
After the order takes effect, migrants will be immediately removed if they do not show fear of going back to their native nations.
They might also be subject to criminal charges and a five-year ban from entering the nation.
Biden stated that Republicans “have left me no choice” but to “do what I can on my own to address the border” in a speech at the White House following the order’s signing.
Although the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has already stated that it plans to challenge the order in court, the Biden administration does anticipate legal challenges.
“A ban on asylum is illegal, just as it was when [Donald] Trump unsuccessfully tried to obtain it,” stated ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt.
