According to NBC News, the Biden administration is thinking of utilizing executive orders to deal with the southern border immigration situation.
Lawmakers on the conservative side have been arguing that legislation, like the bipartisan Senate plan unveiled on Sunday, is not necessary and that President Joe Biden already has the authority to strengthen border security.
Executive options have been considered for months, according to two U.S. officials who spoke with NBC News, and doing nothing is not an option. The measures, however, are still in the draft stage and are not anticipated to be put into effect very soon.
The officials went on to say that the consequences of any unilateral action would be insignificant compared to what would have happened if Congress had acted.
According to an official, “It’s a plan B,” NBC News said on Wednesday night.
After months of discussions, the bipartisan $118 billion border security bill was unveiled by the U.S. Senate on Sunday. It would also give help to Israel and Ukraine.
The bill, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was “dead on arrival” and “worse than expected” when it arrived in the House.
At the southern border, there were almost 302,000 migrant interactions in December, setting a record. The amount easily eclipsed the previous record, which was achieved in September 2023 at 269,700.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was tried and failed to be impeached by the House on Tuesday for his inability to manage the migrant inflow at the border. Johnson announced on Wednesday that there will probably be another impeachment vote the following week.
Progressives will probably be offended by news that the government is considering taking unilateral action, but Democratic mayors of large cities—where many migrants have been transported—may be pleased.
The Democratic mayors of Denver, New York, and Chicago made fresh requests in late December for further federal assistance and cooperation with Texas in response to the increasing number of asylum seekers traveling by bus and aircraft to their cities.
DHS implemented limitations in May that increased the number of migrants eligible for expedited deportations. But because of their overwhelming numbers, the great majority of migrants who were detained by border police were nonetheless allowed to enter the country.
As Biden bids for reelection, even Democrats have criticized him for how he has handled the border.
Regarding border security and immigration control, he is more than thirty points behind his former president Donald Trump, who is most certainly the front-runner for the GOP nomination, according to NBC News poll findings released on Sunday.