invoice It includes a mechanism that would give the Department of Homeland Security the power to quickly expel immigrants caught crossing the border illegally if there is a particularly high number of border crossings for several days in a row.
The “border emergency” clause, which expires in three years, is automatically triggered when border crossings reach an average of 5,000 per day over a seven-day period, or 8,500 per day in a calendar day. The president may also choose to use the tool as low as 4,000 times per day on average for him over a seven-day period.
Supporters of the bill, including President Biden, say the provision gives new emergency powers to “close” the border in case of congestion, but it does not mean the border will be completely closed. isn't it. Approximately 1,400 migrants will continue to be able to obtain asylum status at their ports of entry, and traditional trade and travel will continue to be possible.
Republican critics of the bill specifically use this provision to argue that it would allow the Biden administration to “release” 5,000 immigrants into the United States per day. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), the lead Republican negotiator on the bill, pushed back on that argument, saying it was the “most misunderstood part” of the bipartisan proposal.
“This is not about housing 5,000 people a day,” Lankford told Fox News last month. “This is not someone who has to stand at the border and hit a little clicker and say, 'Let's get one more person in. That's 4,999 people,' and then have to stop. This is a border closure, and everyone is actually being turned around. That will happen.”
