WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday to temporarily halt asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border, based on the number of migrants seeking asylum.
The order would deny entry to migrants crossing the border once the average daily encounters reach 2,500 between ports of entry.
Following the order, Missouri U.S. Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt responded to FOX 2:
Josh Hawley
Hawley told FOX 2 in a virtual one-on-one interview that there should be stricter limits on border security.
“What a joke,” said Hawley. “Here is a guy who has allowed 9 million illegal immigrants into this country in the last three years.”
Hawley mentions that this has raised concerns about crime in Missouri and nationwide.
“This president is accountable, and now he suggests that maybe if a few thousand more [migrants] cross the border every day, he might consider closing it. Close it now. He should have closed it years ago, but close it now.”
Hawley describes the order as a “show” ahead of the November 2024 reelection.
“It’s all just for show, and I don’t believe the American people will fall for it,” said Hawley. “But it’s all a show. This is the same person who opened the border. Let’s not forget, he opened it, and now he’s saying, ‘Oops, a lot of people came in… Maybe I’ll think about closing it temporarily in the future.’ He’s not even doing it today. This executive order doesn’t actually close the border. It doesn’t achieve anything. It says, ‘Maybe in the future, I’ll take some action.’ It’s a joke.”
Eric Schmitt
Schmitt shared a video on Tuesday of him speaking out against the executive order. He argues that the Biden administration has reversed policies from the Trump era that have weakened border security.
Schmitt also provided a statement to FOX 2 on Tuesday.
“Americans see right through this election year maneuvering. In his first 100 days, Biden reversed nearly 100 executive actions, which opened our border to approximately 10 million illegal immigrant crossings since he took office. This executive order would normalize another 1.75 million illegal immigrant crossings each year and further encourage child trafficking by cartels. Joe Biden has all the authority needed to fully close the border – he just doesn’t want to,”
