At least two Texas border mayors are headed to Washington on Tuesday when President Joe Biden is expected to announce an executive order that will mark his latest and most aggressive plan to curtail the number of migrants allowed to seek asylum in the U.S.
Quick Read
- At least two Texas border mayors, Brownsville Mayor John Cowen and Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza, are heading to Washington on Tuesday for an immigration announcement by President Joe Biden.
- The executive order to be announced aims to curtail the number of migrants allowed to seek asylum in the U.S.
- Cowen confirmed his attendance, while Garza will provide more details on Monday.
- The Democratic mayor of Eagle Pass, a key border town, has not received an invitation, and the McAllen mayor declined due to a prior commitment.
- A White House spokesperson did not comment on the full list of invited mayors.
- The executive order could deny asylum requests and entrance once daily migrant encounters exceed a new threshold.
- Although border crossings have declined since December, Biden seeks to prevent a potential spike in crossings as the fall election approaches.
- Immigration remains a significant voter concern, with Republicans aiming to criticize Biden, while Democrats blame Republicans for blocking a bipartisan border deal.
The Associated Press has the story:
Border mayors heading to DC for Biden’s new immigration announcement
Newslooks- McALLEN, TEXAS (AP) —
At least two Texas border mayors are headed to Washington on Tuesday when President Joe Biden is expected to announce an executive order that will mark his latest and most aggressive plan to curtail the number of migrants allowed to seek asylum in the U.S.
Brownsville Mayor John Cowen and Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza both confirmed they were invited by the White House for an immigration announcement on Tuesday. Cowen told the Associated Press that he plans to attend, while Garza said he would have more details on Monday about his plans.
Notably, the Democratic mayor of Eagle Pass, the Texas-Mexico border town where the number of migrants led to a state-federal clash over border security, had not received an invitation as of Sunday. The mayor from McAllen said he was invited, but could not attend because of a prior commitment.
A White House spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment on other mayors who were invited to the announcement.
The AP reported last week that the White House was finalizing an executive order that could shut off asylum requests and automatically deny entrance to migrants once the number of people encountered by U.S. border officials exceeded a new daily threshold.
The unilateral action is expected even as the number of border crossings at the southern U.S. border has declined since December, due in large part to Mexico’s escalated enforcement efforts. But Biden wants to head off any potential spike in crossings that could occur later in the year, as the fall election draws closer, when the weather cools and numbers tend to rise.
Immigration remains a concern for voters ahead of the November elections, with Republicans eager to punish Biden electorally over the issue. Democrats have responded that Republicans, at the behest of Donald Trump, killed a bipartisan border deal in Congress that would have led to the toughest legislative restrictions on asylum in years.
