President Biden suggested on February 23 that he could take executive action to crack down on the flow of illegal immigration across the southern border, the Associated Press reported.
During a White House meeting with the National Governors Association, the president said he was considering his options to act unilaterally now that Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan measure aimed at increasing funding for border security.
Biden expressed frustration with congressional Republicans, telling the governors that the immigration system was “broken” because Congress has not been willing to reform immigration laws.
He accused Republicans of playing “petty politics” and said any action he could take would be limited.
During a private session with governors, the president reportedly said he was discussing possible executive action with White House lawyers, hoping to find options that could stand up in court, according to National Governors Association Chair Spencer Cox.
Cox, the Republican governor of Utah, told reporters after the meeting that the president said his lawyers had so far not given him the answers he wanted.
Democrat Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, the Vice Chair of the association, told reporters that his “general sense” was that the White House was “looking into whatever they can do on the executive side.”
Polis added that it would be preferable for Congress to tackle this issue but said that one possible option for the president would be to declare a state of emergency at the border to free up additional funding.
The White House is also considering having the president invoke authorities under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that would allow him to block entry of immigrants deemed “detrimental” to US interests.
This is the same option then-President Trump used to bar travel to the United States from terrorist countries – Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban.”
When asked when the president planned to decide on any action, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on February 23 that no decisions had been made.
