President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday, June 4. According to multiple news outlets, the order would temporarily shut down the U.S. southern border with Mexico when illegal crossings between ports exceed 2,500 a day.
With daily border crossings averaging well above that, the executive action could lead to an immediate shutdown of the border. The Department of Homeland Security estimates an average of around 4,000 border encounters every day.
Migrants would not be able to apply for asylum if they cross the border during the shutdown period. The border would only reopen when daily crossings drop down to 1,500 a day.
The White House has invited border city mayors and Democratic lawmakers to accompany the president when he makes the announcement.
The executive action is expected to rely on a presidential authority in the U.S. Code known as Section 212 (f), which lets the president “suspend the entry” of specific groups of migrants whenever the number of attempted border crossings grows too high.
