Just weeks before incumbent president Joe Biden faces Donald Trump for the first pre-election debate of 2024, his administration announced it would adopt an order temporarily sealing off the U.S.–Mexico border and removing protections for asylum seekers. According to The New York Times, “The order would be the most restrictive border policy instituted by Mr. Biden, or any other modern Democrat, and echoes an effort in 2018 by President Donald J. Trump to curb migration that Democrats assailed and federal courts blocked.” Biden plans to sign the order with great fanfare alongside mayors of border cities.
Laura Flores-Perilla is a Skadden Fellow at the Justice Action Center, an organization that advances immigrant justice through litigation and storytelling. She spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about Biden’s new border policy.