No, by ‘nuclear option’, we don’t mean a nuclear weapon. President Joe Biden is considering employing executive actions as a means to tackle the border crisis that’s ongoing down south.
Sources close to Biden say he’s heavily leaning towards going big with what they’re calling the “nuclear option,” which could mean some very harsh executive actions.
What Is The Executive Action?
The executive action in question could put a stop to people crossing the United States border illegally claiming asylum, as reported by a few people with knowledge of the proposal.
The move will suspend long-standing guarantees that give anyone who crosses the border onto U.S. soil the right to ask for a safe haven.
Proposed Border Policy: Bipartisan Bill Blocked, New Order In Progress
The order will rubber-stamp a key policy in a bipartisan bill that Republicans prevented earlier this month, despite the fact that it had some of the most important border security restrictions that the Congress had deliberated on in recent years.
The proposed bill would have effectively closed the border to new migrants if over 5,000 migrants attempted to cross unlawfully in a week or if more than 8,500 tried to cross in a single day.
Promising Bipartisan Bill Meets Its End At Trump’s Command
Well, republicans didn’t want that. It is alleged that former President Donald Trump had a hand in that action. Trump is presently gearing up for another run against Biden in 2024, so you can understand why fingers are pointed in his direction.
For years, the southern border has been a hotspot for immigration, with people trying to enter the United States, both legally and illegally. Republicans have criticized President Biden and the Democrats for not passing any laws to fix this problem.
Biden Accused Of ‘Open Border’ Approach
Meanwhile, former President Trump has also repeatedly taken aim at Biden’s border policies, with many conservatives accusing Biden of having an “open border” approach.
However, change was thought to be at the door when Republicans and Democrat lawmakers joined hands to work on a bipartisan border control bill. Biden swiftly announced that he was in support of the deal and would sign it into law.
Bill Would Have Brought Unprecedented Measures
News outlets reported that this bill would have put strict limiters on the border that were unprecedented. The bill would have brought a completely new method of running the border compared to previous decades.
Many Republicans worked on the bill and even went as far as commending the great changes that it would bring to the country. Sadly, everything changed when Trump declared that Republican lawmakers should back out of the deal.
What Was Trump Worried About?
Trump’s fears were that the bipartisan border deal would be a huge plus for Biden in their political battle. Therefore, in an election year, this deal couldn’t go through. As expected, senate Republicans obliged with the requests of the former president.
It eventually led to Senate Republicans successfully preventing the bill from getting a test vote back in February this year despite them being the ones who originally demanded the bill from the Democrats from the start.
Republicans Changed Their Minds
In just a week, Congressional Republicans suddenly changed their policy. Biden and Democrats were quick to call them for caring more about politics and the election season than border control.
In return, Republicans said the bill didn’t fulfill all their wishes.
Biden Criticizes Republicans For Allowing Bid Fall Through
After the border deal fell through, Biden criticized Republicans for giving in to Trump on an issue they claimed they wanted to solve. Biden also targeted conservatives during his State of the Union speech.
Recently, Biden asked Trump to join him in persuading Congress to approve the immigration deal they had already crafted. He then urged Republican lawmakers to be brave and finalize the deal.
Biden To Employ Change Of Tack
It looks almost certain that Republicans won’t pass the bipartisan deal and it seems there have been some changes to the president’s policy too. Earlier, he’d left it to Congress to pass legislation on the border.
Now, it appears that Biden is going to employ a different approach. It’s been reported that the president is now leaning towards using executive actions — something he once was very averse to using on the border — to get this issue dealt with once and for all.
Not The First Time
This isn’t the first time Biden has thought about using his presidential executive powers to address the southern border issue. Reports say the White House thought about announcing some executive actions before or during Biden’s State of the Union speech.
But the Biden administration eventually chose not to do that. Back then, it seemed like this idea was over, just like the border deal. But now, it seems like this option is back on the table.
Change May Come If There’s Another Surge At The Border
The president may opt to employ executive actions if there’s a new rise in the number of immigrants crossing the border. Crossings tend to rise in the spring and also in the summer months. It is likely that Biden could choose to effect his plans within those months.
However, one of the officials of the Biden administration has come to tag the move as a “nuclear option.” Another claimed that the president is done contemplating and is now ready to make this move. “The bullet’s in the chamber,” they said.
What Changes Could Biden’s Order Bring About?
It has been reported that Biden’s executive moves could bring about a few different changes. One of these could be a ban on people entering the country if they cross the border illegally.
That’s not all. Another potential effect is that immigrants might find it more difficult to get asylum as the order would make it more difficult to pass the first interview in the process.
Serious Legal Issues On The Horizon
If Biden does eventually use executive actions that impact the southern border, many legal issues could spring forth as a result. Because of that, these actions are often considered risky. That’s one of the major reasons why the White House initially left it to Congress to pass the legislation.
To effect this, Biden might use section 212f of the U.S. code. The Trump administration also attempted the same action. The end result? The courts stepped in almost immediately.
