Biden promises to ‘shut down’ the border if given the authority in a bipartisan bill
The president threw his support behind an emerging deal in the Senate that he said would give him “authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed.”
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to halt crossings at the border when it’s “overwhelmed” if Congress passes bipartisan immigration legislation giving him that authority.
In a strongly worded statement, Biden threw his support behind an emerging immigration deal in the Senate, one that former President Donald Trump is seeking to torpedo since it could hand a legislative victory to his likely opponent in November.
“What’s been negotiated would — if passed into law — be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country,” Biden said Friday night. “It would give me, as President, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law.”
Biden, who has recently expressed optimism that a bipartisan deal could come soon, reiterated that the border is “broken” and argued that “it’s long past time to fix it.”
“Securing the border through these negotiations is a win for America. For everyone who is demanding tougher border control, this is the way to do it,” he said. “If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it.”
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