LISTEN: Biden issues order closing southern border to asylum seekers

SALT LAKE CITY — President Joe Biden announced an executive order Tuesday that would limit entry for asylum seekers crossing illegally into the United States from the southern border.

The order goes into force when the number of illegal crossings between ports of entry into the U.S. surpasses 2,500 a day for a week. When the number of illegal migrant crossings falls below 1,500 a day for a week, the order is lifted.

As the number of illegal crossings at the southern border already exceeds the 2,500 per day threshold, the action is set to take effect at 10 p.m. MDT. 

Axios is reporting that cutting off access to the U.S. started Tuesday afternoon.

In the last 24 hours at the border, sources tell Fox, there were 5,200 encounters. They state the border is averaging more than 5,000 every day for the past week.

The new executive order makes an exemption for ““if [asylum seekers] manifest or express a fear of return to their country or country of removal, a fear of persecution or torture or an intention to apply for asylum,” a senior administration official said, according to Oregon Capital Chronicle.

Let’s talk about the southern border order 

Boyd Matheson, host of KSL Inside Sources, joined Dave & Dujanovic to discuss Biden’s executive order.

Biden’s previous stance

Boyd Matheson: ” . . . Let’s remember that what gets done by executive order will be undone by executive order. It won’t last through administrations because it never does.

“This is the absolute worst way to govern. . . If you go back to 2020 and the debate between then-candidate Joe Biden and then-President Donald Trump.

“Joe Biden went after the former president for this very thing –verbatim — and said, ‘This is inhuman. He’s the first president in history to limit the number of people or the rules by which people can seek asylum in this country’ and completely lambasted the president for that policy.

“Now, let’s also remember that this very same policy that President Biden is enacting by executive order today was judged to be unconstitutional by the courts. President Trump implemented it by executive order. The court said ‘You can’t do that’ and it ended.

“President Biden has been critical all along and suddenly, suddenly, he’s seeing the light and said ‘No, we’re gonna shut it down right now in terms of asylum. And so there is a great deal of hypocrisy and 2024 campaign wrapped up into what the president has announced.”

The immediate effect

Debbie Dujanovic: “According to NBC News, New York Times and other sources that I’ve been reading is that this executive order will temporarily shut down asylum requests once the average number of daily encounters gets over 2500. Let’s talk about that. What is that? What does that look like on the ground at the southern border?”

Matheson: “So this is a complete shutdown. So this is not allowing anyone for any reason, even a great reason, will not be able to claim asylum by just walking over the border.”

Dujanovic: “I think that’s huge.”

Matheson: “It’s a big deal. Then there’s this interesting window: If it gets down to about 1500 a day, then they can — the president can turn it back off and they can allow some people. If it gets over that 1,500 to 2,500 range, then it’s a complete shutdown for any and every reason.”

Related:

‘We should all be concerned’: Gov. Cox details trip to US-Mexico border

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Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, as well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play. 

Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app.