Could Biden "shut down" the border now? What to know about the latest immigration debate

Washington — There's currently an intense debate about what legal authorities President Biden has at his disposal to deal with the humanitarian crisis at the U.S. southern border, where migrant apprehensions have reached record levels in recent years.

The debate escalated recently after Mr. Biden promised to "shut down" the U.S.-Mexico border if Congress passes an immigration compromise that his administration has been negotiating with a small bipartisan group of senators. While the agreement has not been officially released, sources directly familiar with the talks have told CBS News that it would give the executive branch the power to partially shut down asylum processing when illegal border crossings reach certain levels.

Mr. Biden's pledge to "shut down the border" was likely shorthand for clamping down on illegal crossings and asylum claims, since completely shutting down an international boundary would bring legal travel and trade to a halt — an unprecedented move that would hurt both the U.S. and Mexican economies.