Senate to vote on border bill as Democrats seek to shift blame to GOP
CBSMay 22
Report: Biden Administration Planning Potential Border Closure
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The Facts
Anonymous officials familiar with reported negotiations say the Biden administration is close to issuing an executive action to allow the president to temporarily shut the southern border, and the US is talking to Mexico in pursuit of its cooperation.
The executive order could involve the president exercising a power in the US Code — Section 212 (f) — which could allow Biden to "suspend the entry" of certain groups if the number of attempted migrant crossings exceeds a certain amount.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Unlike his Republican predecessor and despite demands from overaggressive GOP legislators, Pres. Biden is taking a careful approach to his possible executive orders on immigration. He needs to get the wording right so that his plans aren't thwarted by the courts, as well as to make sure the US does its best to maintain a humanitarian policy toward immigrants. Without Congress' help, though, anything Biden does will be temporary.
Republican narrative
The president has dragged his feet long enough. His tentativeness in using executive orders has led to a migrant crisis of record-breaking proportions. Now we hear rumors he may trim away at the edges in reforming the asylum system and weaken some other policies. This crisis requires drastic actions the president is entitled to take, but Biden is too weak and/or beholden to his left flank to do what's necessary.
