Immigration

Fiona Harrigan | 2.2.2024 3:55 PM

For the past several months, congressional lawmakers have attempted to forge a bipartisan border security deal. By many indications, that deal is on shaky ground—but that hasn't stopped politicians from voicing some very unrealistic policy goals for the border.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R–La.) floated one such goal while discussing a deal reportedly struck by a group of senators. "It seems the authority to shut down the border would kick in only after as many as 5,000 illegal crossings happen a day. Why? Why would we do that?" he said on Tuesday. "That would be surrender. The goal should be zero illegal crossings a day."

(The deal would "automatically reject migrants and asylum seekers from crossing the border illegally once the daily average for border crossings surpasses 5,000 over a week or…8,500 on a single day," per Axios.)

President Joe Biden has vowed to "shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed" if Congress grants him that authority. "I would use it the day I sign" a........

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