STORY: Biden signs executive order strictly limiting unlawful border crossings by immigrants
SHOOTING DATE: June 4, 2024
DATELINE: June 5, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:04
LOCATION: Washington D.C.
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JOE BIDEN, U.S. President
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JOE BIDEN, U.S. President
3. various of the White House

STORYLINE:

U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday that would immediately turn down requests for entry into the United States by asylum-seekers crossing the southern border illegally, in the event that officials deem the border is overwhelmed.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JOE BIDEN, U.S. President
"Today, I'm announcing actions to bar migrants who cross our southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum. Migrants will be restricted from receiving asylum at our southern border unless they seek it after entering through an established lawful process. And those who seek come to the United States legally -- for example, by making an appointment and coming to a port of entry -- asylum will still be available to them -- still available. But if an individual chooses not to use our legal pathways, if they choose to come without permission and against the law, they'll be restricted from receiving asylum and staying in the United States. This action will help us to gain control of our border, restore order to the process. This ban will remain in place until the number of people trying to enter illegally is reduced to a level that our system can effectively manage."

The long-awaited measure, which Biden has been contemplating for months, would kick in once the seven-day average for illegal crossings between ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border hits 2,500 per day, effectively shutting down the border, according to senior administration officials.
   
Given that the daily encounters are already above the threshold now, the order could take effect right after being signed, empowering border officers to repatriate migrants within "days, if not hours," the officials told reporters during a press call.
   
Prior to Tuesday's order, an illegal immigrant seeking asylum in the United States would typically be allowed to temporarily enter the country, where the individual will wait for court appearance to present a compelling case for the request.
   
Under the new guidance, the border will reopen to those seeking asylum in the United States two weeks after the daily crossings stay at or below 1,500 for seven consecutive days.
   
Unaccompanied children and victims of human trafficking are exempt from the newly-announced restrictions -- a key part of the executive order which Biden boasted as out of humanitarian considerations. Immigration advocates, however, worry that such an exemption would potentially lead to a drastic increase of children who make the dangerous journey to the border on their own.
   
The executive order is widely seen as an election-year move to alleviate voters' concerns over the country's broken immigration system.
   
Throughout Biden's presidential term so far, immigration policy has been something for which he has constantly come under attack by Republicans, who accused him of radically favoring an open border at the expense of U.S. national security.
   
In remarks at the White House announcing the executive order, Biden said his measure, the product of weeks of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans, was opposed by some GOP members of Congress because the former president and his election rival, Donald Trump, "told them to."
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JOE BIDEN, U.S. President
"Four months ago, after weeks of intense negotiation between my staff and Democrats and Republicans, we came to a clear bipartisan deal that was the strongest border security agreement in decades. But then Republicans in Congress -- not all, but -- walked away from it. Why? Because Donald Trump told them to. He told the Republicans -- it has been published widely by many of you -- that he didn't want to fix the issue. He wanted to use it to attack me. That's what he wanted to do. It was a cynical and an extremely cynical political move and a complete disservice to the American people, who are looking for us to -- not to weaponize the border but to fix it."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C.
(XHTV)