Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Is Biden about to close the border in the name of election year politics?

U.S. President Joe Biden walks across the South Lawn before boarding the Marine One presidential helicopter and departing the White House on Feb. 29, 2024, in Washington, DC.

Multiple news sources report that President Joe Biden is considering implementing executive action to try to close the U.S.-Mexico border, including to asylum seekers. It would be an extreme move, and a violation of the Refugee Act of 1980 and the country’s international obligation to protect those fleeing persecution. Only one other president — Donald Trump — has blatantly breached that obligation before. With the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext, Trump invoked Title 42 of the U.S. Code, which allowed him to curb migration in the name of public health.

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