Remarks on Border
Security Pending Executive Order
delivered 4 June
2024, East Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
[NOT AUTHENTICATED: CHECK AGAINST
DELIVERY]
Good afternoon. I’ve come here
today to do what the Republicans in Congress refuse to do: take the
necessary
steps to secure our border.
Four months ago, after weeks of intense negotiation between my staff and
Democrats and Republicans, we came to a clear -- clear bipartisan deal that was
the strongest border security agreement in decades. But then Republicans in
Congress -- not all, but -- walked away from it.
Why? Because Donald Trump told them to. He told the Republicans -- it has been
published widely by many of you -- that he didn’t want to fix the issue; he
wanted to use it to attack me. That’s what he wanted to do. It was a cynical and
a – extremely cynical political move and a complete disservice to the American
people, who are looking for us to -- not to weaponize the border but to fix it.
Today, I am joined by a bipartisan group of governors, members of Congress,
mayors, law enforcement officials -- most of whom live and work along the
southern border. They know the border is not a political issue to be weaponized
-- the responsibility we have to share to do something about it. They don’t have
time for the games played in Washington, and neither do the American people.
So, today, I’m moving past Republican obstruction and using the executive
authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address
the border.
Frankly, I would have preferred to address this issue through bipartisan
legislation, because that’s the only way to actually get the kind of system we
have now -- that’s broken -- fixed, to hire more Border Patrol agents, more asylum
officers, more judges. But Republicans have left me with no choice.
Today, I’m announcing actions to bar migrants who cross our southern border
unlawfully from receiving asylum. Migrants will be restricted from receiving
asylum at our southern border unless they seek it after entering through an
established lawful process.
And those who seek -- come to the United States legally -- for example, by making
an appointment and coming to a port of entry -- asylum will still be available to
them -- still available. But if an individual chooses not to use our legal
pathways, if they choose to come without permission and against the law, they’ll
be restricted from receiving asylum and staying in the United States.
This action will help us to gain control of our border, restore order to the
process.
This ban will remain in place until the number of people trying to enter
illegally is reduced to a level that our system can effectively manage.
We’ll carry out this order consistent with all our responsibilities under
international law -- every one of them.
In addition to this action, we recently made important reforms in our asylum
system: more efficient and more secure reforms. The goal is to deliver decisions
on asylum as quickly as possible.
The quicker the decis- -- the quicker decision means that a migrant is less
likely to pay a criminal smuggler thousands of dollars to take them on a
dangerous journey, knowing that if, in fact, they move in the wrong direction,
they’d be turned around quickly.
And two weeks ago, the Department of Justice stated -- started a new docket in
the immigration courts to address cases where people who’ve recently crossed the
border and make -- they’ll make a decision within six months rather than six
years, because that’s what happens now.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security has proposed new rules to
allow federal law enforcement to more quickly remove asylum seekers that have
criminal convictions and remove them from the United States.
My administration is also -- recently launched new efforts to go after criminal
networks that profit from smuggling migrants to our border and incentivize
people to give tips to law enforcement to provide information that brings
smugglers to justice.
We’re also sending additional federal prosecutors to hot spots along the border
and prosecute individuals who break our immigration laws.
One other critical step that we -- we’ll be taking, and that is -- made a huge
difference: We continue to work closely with our Mexican neighbors instead of
attacking Mexico, and it’s worked.
We built a strong partnership of trust between the Mexican President, López
Obrador, and I’m going to do the same with the Mexican-elect President, who I
spoke with yesterday.
We’ve chosen to work together with Mexico as an equal partner, and the facts are
clear. Due to the arrangements that I’ve reached with President Obrador, the
number of migrants coming and shared -- to our shared border unlawfully in recent
months has dropped dramatically.
But while these steps are important, they’re not enough.
To truly secure the border, we have to change our laws, and Congress needs to
provide the necessary funding to hire 1,500 more border security agents; 100
more immigration judges to help tackle the backlog of cases -- more than 2
million of them; 4,300 more asylum officers to make decisions in less than six
months instead of six years, which is what it takes now; and around 100 more
high-tech detection machines to significantly increase the ability to screen and
stop fentanyl being smuggled into the United States.
These investments were one of the primary reasons that the Border Patrol union
endorsed the bipartisan deal in the first place. And these investments are
essential and remain essential.
As far as I’m concerned, if you’re not willing to spend the money to hire more
Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, more judges, more high-tech
machinery, you’re just not serious about protecting our border. It’s as simple
as that.
I believe that immigration has always been a lifeblood of America. We’re
constantly renewed by an infusion of people with -- and new talent.
The Statue of Liberty is not some relic of American history. It stands for who
we are as the United States.
So, I will never demonize immigrants. I will never refer to immigrants as
“poisoning the blood” of a country. And further, I’ll never separate children
from their families at the border.
I will not ban people from this country because of their religious beliefs. I
will not use the U.S. military to go into neighborhoods all across the country
to pull millions of people out of their homes and away from their families to
put detention camps and awai- -- while awaiting deportation, as my predecessor
says he will do if he to- -- occupies this office again.
On my fir- -- very first day as president, I introduced a comprehensive
immigration reform plan to fix -- to fix our broken sy- -- system, secure our
border, provide a pathway for citizenship for DREAMers, and a lot more. And I’m
still fighting to get that done.
But we must face a simple truth: To protect America as a land that welcomes
immigrants, we must first secure the border and secure it now.
The simple truth is there is a worldwide migrant crisis, and if the United
States doesn’t secure our border, there is no limit to the number of people who
may try to come here, because there is no better place on the planet than the
United States of America.
For those who say the steps I’ve taken are too strict, I say to you that -- be
patient, and good will of the American people are going to we- -- are wearing
thin right now. Doing nothing is not an option. We have to act. We must act
consistent with both our law and our values -- our value as Americans.
I take these steps today not to walk away from we -- who we are as Americans but
to make sure we preserve who we are for future generations to come.
Today, I have spoken about what we need to do to secure the border. In the weeks
ahead -- and I mean the weeks ahead -- I will speak to how we can make our
immigration system more fair and more just.
Let’s fix the problem and stop fighting about it. I’m doing my part. We’re doing
our part. Congressional Republicans should do their part.
Thank you very much.
[Cross-talk.]
[Addressing participants.] Welcome to Washington.
[Cross-talk.]
I’ll talk to you later.
[Cross-talk.]
Question: Mr. President, is Netanyahu playing politics with the war?
PRESIDENT BIDEN: What was that?
Question: I asked, sir: Is Prime Minister Netanyahu playing politics with the war?
PRESIDENT BIDEN: I don’t think so. He’s trying to work out a serious problem he
has.
Thank you.
Original Text Source: WhiteHouse.gov
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