Joe Biden tightens US immigration rules with limit on asylum seekers

Joe Biden has ordered a tightening of the rules around illegal immigration across the US’s southern border with Mexico in an attempt to curb a jump in numbers and neutralise one of his biggest political weaknesses in the US election against Donald Trump.

The US president announced executive actions on Tuesday that would limit migrants’ ability to seek asylum if they have crossed the border illegally and would enable their rapid deportation.

Senior Biden administration officials said that migrants who illegally crossed the US-Mexico border would be ineligible for asylum until the number of daily encounters — or apprehensions — between ports of entry dropped below 1,500. The number is above 2,500 at present.

The new measures would take effect again if the number of encounters was higher than 2,500.

Biden is betting that the new measures will limit the political damage to his campaign from the increase in illegal immigration during his White House tenure, and prevent a surge in border crossings ahead of the election.

But limiting asylum rights and facilitating deportations also risks further alienating some leftwing Democratic voters, many of whom are unhappy with Biden over his handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Senior Biden administration officials said there were exceptions to the new measures, including for lawful permanent residents, unaccompanied children, victims of trafficking, those who face “acute” medical emergencies and individuals who use the Customs and Border Protection One mobile application.

They added that the measures were crafted in a more humane manner than the policies of the Trump administration. “We will not separate children from their families,” said one official.

Biden’s executive actions came after Trump urged Republicans to block a bipartisan border security agreement in Congress, and ahead of the summer months when the number of people trying to illegally cross the southern border typically increases.

“For three years, Joe Biden has led on border security and congressional Republicans have obstructed it — all in the name of politics,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.

Immigration is frequently cited in polling as among the top concerns for voters in this year’s presidential election — and this is expected to benefit Trump in November.

The former president has pledged draconian anti-immigration plans that include a mass deportation scheme and the use of the military to enforce his policies. He has also described immigrants as “poisoning the blood of our country”, in language Democrats say echoes the racist rhetoric of Nazi Germany.

“Let’s be clear — Joe Biden’s executive order is for amnesty, not border security,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, in response to the new measures.

According to the US Customs and Border Protection agency, monthly migrant entries at the southern border hit a peak of more than 300,000 in December last year, before declining to 178,000 in April — a lower figure than the same month in 2022 and 2023.

Biden has been under pressure to take a tougher line on immigration not only from Republicans but also from some Democrats in border states such as Arizona and Texas.

While he had released a plan for long-term reform of the immigration and asylum system at the start of his administration, he has been criticised for being too slow in responding to the surge in arrivals during his tenure.

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