U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says any action on the border from the Biden Administration is months, if not years, too late to stem the tide of illegal crossings at the nation’s border with Mexico. President Joe Biden signed an executive order this (Tuesday) morning that ends asylum requests when the average daily encounters top 2,500 people. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, that figure has averaged over 6,000 per day since the beginning of the year. The Biden Administration first shared details of the plan with legislators yesterday (Monday). Grassley says the move is necessary but needed to happen long ago.
Grassley says a vote in the Senate failed several weeks ago, which would have effectively done what the executive order does now.
Grassley says the administration’s previous actions show they are uninterested in securing the southern border, but poll numbers and the upcoming presidential election required a shift in position.
Sen. Grassley made his comments Monday during his weekly Capitol Hill Report with Iowa reporters.