To no one’s surprise, the White House has announced that, if given the chance, Joe Biden would veto the Secure the Border Act of 2023, a bill proposed by House Republicans that seeks to tighten border security and restrict asylum and immigration programs. The bill, which is expected to be voted on this week, is a response to the looming expiration of Title 42, a public health order that allows the U.S. to quickly expel (some) migrants who cross the border illegally during the COVID-19 pandemic. That pandemic is set to officially end on Thursday.
According to the White House statement, the bill “does nothing to address the root causes of migration, reduces humanitarian protections, and restricts lawful pathways, which are critical alternatives to unlawful entry.” The statement also said that the bill “would make elements of our immigration system worse” and “trample on the nation’s core values and international obligations.”
The bill includes several provisions that would revive or expand some of former President Donald Trump’s policies, such as:
- Resuming construction of the border wall and deploying more technology and personnel along the border.
- Requiring employers to use E-Verify, a system that checks workers’ legal status.
- Ending the Diversity Visa Lottery, a program that randomly selects immigrants from underrepresented countries.
- Eliminating Temporary Protected Status.
- Restricting asylum eligibility and banning the use of a mobile app that allows migrants to apply for asylum remotely.
- Limiting the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to parole migrants into the U.S. for humanitarian or public interest reasons.
Democrats and immigrant advocates hate the bill, of course, because it “would harm vulnerable populations” and “undermine the country’s commitment to welcoming refugees and asylum seekers.” In other words, it would get in the way of Biden’s ongoing project to replace the existing U.S. population with a more compliant, third-world population.
Many Republicans, indebted to wealthy business donors who seek cheap foreign labor, also oppose the bill.
So, in the unlikely event that it passes the Senate, the Secure the Border bill will be vetoed by Biden. No one believes there will be a Secure the Border law enacted in 2023. The bill’s importance, according to Rosemary Jenks of NumbersUSA, is as a Republican “blueprint for 2025,” if a Republican is elected president.
For more, see Breitbart News.