President Joe Biden's executive order to permit 2,500 illegal migrant entries per day has been met with swift rebuke, and critics say the plan, even if properly enforced, will still allow almost 1.8 million entries per year.
Earlier on Tuesday, Biden issued an executive order to shut down the U.S. southern border once illegal crossings reach 2,500 a day. According to a senior official in a background call previewing Biden's announcement, the restrictions would be lifted after seven straight days of 1,500 crossings per day.
The New York Post broke down how the numbers permitted through Biden's executive action, the written exceptions in the order, and the administration's own parole program will still bring in almost 1.8 million migrants per year via various points of entry.
The new restrictions included plenty of exceptions including allowing migrants to cross the border if they use the CMP One mobile app at a port of entry as well as "unaccompanied children, victims of a severe form of trafficking, those who face an acute medical emergency or an imminent and extreme threat to life and safety and other non-citizens who have a valid visa or some other lawful permission to enter the United States," the senior administration official said.
Many on the conservative side are dismissing Biden's plan as political theater designed to give the illusion of action leading up to the November elections.
"Don't be deceived by Biden's latest move on the border, which is nothing more than a political stunt," wrote Jim Banks, R-Ind., on X. "He's trying to appear tough on immigration because he's losing ground in the polls. Remember, he's already let in over 10 million illegal aliens, and his new executive order will likely lead to at least 1.5 million more illegal crossings in the next year."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., agreed: "President Biden has engineered a wide-open southern border and is now trying to convince Americans that he wants to address the chaos he created."
"The American people know better. He intentionally created this crisis, and an executive order won't change that," Johnson added.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicate more than 7 million illegal border crossers have been apprehended on the US southern border since Biden took office.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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