Grand Canyon Times

Steve Cortes, president of the League of American Workers, said that Arizona voters “won’t be fooled” by President Biden’s new executive order to temporarily shut down asylum requests at the southern border, made in the middle of election season. 

“Biden claimed for years that he didn’t have the authority to protect the border,” Cortes told Grand Canyon Times. “Now, in the middle of election season - and staring at awful polling numbers for himself - Biden suddenly finds ‘religion’ on the border? Arizonans won’t be fooled.”

According to NBC News, President Biden's executive order dictates that the border will be temporarily closed to asylum requests once the average number of encounters with migrants exceeds 2500 per day in official ports of entry. The report noted that the shutdown immediately went into effect upon being signed as that threshold has already been met. 

In January, however, according to a Fox News Report, President Biden told reporters "I've done all I can do" when asked about his plans to secure the southern border. The report noted that House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that despite his claim, the President had several authorities at his disposal including: "Presidential Authority to Restrict Entry 212(f), Expedited Removal 235(b)(1), Discretionary Detention Authority 236(a), Mandatory Detention 236(c)." 

According to a report from the New York Post, Jen Psaki, former press secretary for the Biden Administration, said of Biden's decision to sign the executive order to temporarily shut down the border "There needs to be something that’s done, but also, politically, this is one of the biggest vulnerabilities." The Post further noted that Biden's new order would "still see at least 1.8 million asylum seekers into America each year even if fully enforced."

Since President Biden took office, over 7.2 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States. According to a report from Fox News, this figure is larger than the population of 36 US States.

Cortes is a political advisor and commentator. He previously traded global currencies and interest rates for 25 years for large international hedge funds. He has been an on-air broadcaster for CNBC, Fox News, and CNN. Cortes founded LAW in 2022 to conduct research and develops proposals on public policies impacting American workers and the economy.