Biden toughens border, offers legal path for 30,000 people a month

President Joe Biden says the U.S. will immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who cross the border from Mexico illegally

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday the U.S. would immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans who cross the border from Mexico illegally, his boldest move yet to confront the arrivals of migrants that have spiraled since he took office two years ago.

The new rules expand on an existing effort to stop Venezuelans attempting to enter the U.S., which began in October and led to a dramatic drop in Venezuelans coming to the southern border. Together, they represent a major change to immigration rules that will stand even if the Supreme Court ends a Trump-era public health law that allows U.S. authorities to turn away asylum-seekers.

Also read: Joe Biden reviving Trump-era rule to expel Venezuelan migrants

“Do not, do not just show up at the border,” Mr. Biden said as he announced the changes, even as he acknowledged the hardships that lead many families to make the dangerous journey north.

“Stay where you are and apply legally from there,” he advised.

Mr. Biden made the announcement just days before a planned visit to El Paso, Texas, on Sunday for his first trip to the southern border as President. From there, he will travel to Mexico City to meet with North American leaders on Monday and Tuesday.

The first night under the new restrictions got off to an eerily quiet start in Yuma, Arizona, where hundreds of migrants usually cross like clockwork daily between midnight and sunrise, including many Cubans. By 2 a.m. local time on Friday, no one had crossed in a popular spot for people to turn themselves in to Border Patrol agents.