Hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals descended on the U.S.-Mexico border between the time President Joe Biden declared there was nothing more he could do to stop illegal immigration and when he issued his executive order.
Border Patrol agents made nearly 525,000 illegal immigrant encounters across the southern border in February, March, April and May, according to the latest data by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Those were the four months between Biden claiming to the media on Jan. 30 that he’s done “all I can do” unilaterally to stop the immigration crisis and the executive order he issued on June 4 that seeks to cap southern border crossings. (RELATED: Feds Arrest Russian Nationals With Suspected ISIS Ties In Major Sting Operation)
“Mr. President, on the border. Have you done everything you can do with executive authority?” a reporter asked Biden on Jan. 30 before departing on Marine One.
“I’ve done all I can do. Just give me the power,” Biden responded. “I’ve asked from the very day I got into office.”
“Give me the Border Patrol. Give me the people — give me the people, the judges. Give me the people who can stop this and make it work right,” the president continued.
EL PASO, TEXAS – DECEMBER 22: Immigrants warm to a fire at dawn after spending the night outside next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence on December 22, 2022 in El Paso, Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Four months after those statements, however, the White House issued a presidential proclamation that largely suspended the entry of foreign nationals across the U.S.-Mexico border. The order stops the flow of migrants after the weekly average surpasses 2,500 daily crossings, and the suspension does not stop until two weeks after there has been a seven-day average of fewer than 1,500 daily encounters.
Border Patrol agents made 140,637 apprehensions between ports of entry in February, 137,473 apprehensions in March, 128,893 apprehensions in April and 117,906 in May. There were, in sum, 524,909 illegal migrant crossings in the months when the president maintained he could do nothing more about the border crisis.
However, critics of the executive order note that it is full of loopholes. The order still allows 1.8 million illegal crossings annually, provides exemptions to unlawful migrants that cross at ports of entry with the CBP One app and does not apply to unaccompanied minors or parolees.
Additionally, those who face immediate medical emergencies and those who are deemed victims of a “severe form” of trafficking are also exempted from the order. An internal memo from Immigration and Customs Enforcement obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation reveals there are even further avenues for migrants to avoid being returned, such as making credible fear claims.
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