WASHINGTON (CN) — President Joe Biden offered new solutions to curb illegal immigration on Thursday, announcing restrictions to expel more asylum seekers while slamming Republicans in Congress for not doing more.
“These actions alone that I'm going to announce today aren't going to fix our entire immigration system, but they can help us a good deal in better managing what is a difficult challenge,” Biden said during remarks from the White House.
The new restrictions will encourage migrants to seek lawful pathways and punish those who enter the country illegally. Each month, Biden will make U.S. entry possible for up to 30,000 migrants from Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba who have an eligible sponsor and pass vetting requirements. These individuals will receive work authorizations and be allowed to stay in the country for a period of two years.
“My message is this, if you're trying to leave Cuba, Nicaragua or Haiti, do not do not just show up at the border,” Biden said. “Stay where you are and apply legally from there. Starting today, if you don't apply to the legal process you will not be eligible for this new parole program. And I reiterate, you need a lawful sponsor in the United States of America.”
Aiming to keep the asylum system from being overwhelmed, Biden will send up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua to Mexico each month. Citizens from these countries have not been subject to Title 42 — a Trump-era public health order that expelled individuals based on pandemic measures.
Biden has been fighting to terminate Title 42, but the Supreme Court halted the administration from doing so pending its review of a challenge by red states. Biden said Thursday he is confident the public health order will come to an end when the high court rules. Once Title 42 is inactive, the administration will revert back to Title 8 measures.
“I don't like Title 42, but it's the law now and we have to operate within it,” Biden said.
To crack down on illegal immigration, Biden will expel migrants who enter the country without permission and subject them to a five-year ban on reentry. The new regulations will give migrants more opportunities to enter the country lawfully, however, including the use of a mobile application to schedule asylum appointments with Customs and Border Patrol.
“Look, we should all recognize that as long as America is the land of freedom and opportunity, people are going to try to come here and that's what many of our ancestors did,” Biden said. “And it's no surprise that it's happening again today. We can't stop people from making the journey, but we can require them to come here in an orderly way under U.S. law.”
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