6-08-2024 5:50am

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Biden Border Executive Action

Chris Edwards Editor

June 5th, President Biden announced new measures to secure our Southern border, barring migrants who cross unlawfully from receiving asylum. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the following statement:

“As a border state governor and former chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I’m encouraged by President Biden’s plan to rein in illegal border crossings and help our nation’s immigration officers manage this challenge.

In New Mexico, I’ve long emphasized the need for more border agents to help crack down on drug and human trafficking. While only Congress can provide those resources, the President’s plan maximizes the resources that are available for border security, strategically deploying border patrol agents where they’re needed most.

At the same time, this plan maintains an approach that’s true to our American values. This administration will not separate children from their families or discriminate based on religion as occurred during the Trump administration.

President Biden and I agree that the most effective way to secure our border is through comprehensive congressional action, which Republicans have repeatedly blocked. Proposed legislation they rejected included adding thousands of Border Patrol agents, investing in anti-fentanyl technology, increasing asylum officers and immigration judges, and expanding lawful migration pathways.

I thank President Biden for listening to my concerns, and for his commitment to the job of securing our border. It’s time for Republicans in Congress to do theirs,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order sharply limiting the number of people requesting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"President Biden believes we must secure our border," the White House said in a fact sheet. "That is why today he announced executive actions to bar migrants who cross our southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum."

According to administration officials, the order goes into effect once the weekly average of daily encounters reaches 2,500 among points of entry.

The order will prevent migrants who unlawfully cross the southern border from receiving asylum.

But the Biden administration said the actions are not permanent and will be in effect only when the southern border is overwhelmed.

"This action will help us gain control of our border and restore order to the process," Biden said. "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."

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson's office issued a statement saying the Secure Border Act passed by House Republicans over a year ago would have fixed the problem, but it did not have the support of Biden and Senate Democrats.

"President Biden's Executive Order is nothing more than a desperate political stunt to try and stabilize his plummeting poll numbers," he said in a joint Tuesday statement with Republicans Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer and Elise Stefanik.

But the White House says the president has acted to secure the border, while Congress has failed to act.

"Republicans in Congress chose to put partisan politics ahead of our national security, twice voting against the toughest and fairest set of reforms in decades," the White House said in the fact sheet.