Biden promises asylum still available through appointment after executive order

President Joe Biden pledged that illegal immigrants would still be able to seek asylum in the United States if they made an appointment, which can be done through the CBP One app, even under his executive order targeting illegal immigration.

Biden opened the press conference about his executive order by saying that he is taking actions to secure the border that "Republicans in Congress refuse to do." This was quickly met with condemnation from Republican congressional leaders, who said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Biden has implemented open border policies from his first day in office, and that the House GOP passed a "Secure the Border Act" more than a year ago, but Biden and Senate Democrats refused to pass it.

Biden said that his executive order will "bar migrants who cross our southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum ... unless they seek it after entering through an established lawful process." One legal pathway includes making an appointment through the CBP One app at a port of entry to make an asylum claim then, Biden said.

Biden also defended his actions throughout his presidency that relaxed border restrictions, saying he did so "to fix our broken system, secure our border, provide a pathway to citizenship for dreamers, and a lot more, and I'm still fighting to get that done."

The order states that the border will shut down after an average of 2,500 people a day try to illegally enter the United States for 7 days in a row. The restrictions do not apply to unaccompanied children, people who are victims of human trafficking, noncitizens traveling pursuant to the U.S. visa waiver program, or "noncitizens who arrive in the United States at a southwest land border port of entry pursuant to a process the Secretary of Homeland Security determines is appropriate to allow for the safe and orderly entry of noncitizens into the United States."

"The simple truth is, there is a worldwide migrant crisis, and if the United States doesn't secure our border, there's no limit to the number of people who may try to come here," the president said.

Former President Donald Trump and his campaign have heavily criticized Biden's executive order, saying he timed it to coincide with the 2024 election.

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