Migration affects elections

President Biden will limit asylum requests, but will expand work permits

WASHINGTON. Pressured by electoral necessity, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, is considering imposing severe restrictions on asylum requests at the southern border, while balancing with an expansion in granting work permits to undocumented immigrants.

According to the press and sources in Washington, Biden plans to issue a decree to drastically limit the number of asylum seekers who can cross the southern border.

Congressional sources indicated that Hispanic politicians and lawmakers, including Representatives Jesús Chuy García, Adriano Espaillat, and Lou Correa, propose a measure that would expand work permits for immigrants living in the country illegally, as much as a humanitarian imperative, if not as a political and even economic advantage before November.

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According to Congress, the arrival of migrants has offset the decline in birth rates in the US, with a positive impact on the economy.

But politically, the issue of migration is a hot potato, due to the image of insecurity and lack of controls that former President Donald Trump and the Republicans attribute to the border.

The President has been forced to make a 180-degree turn from his initial decision to cancel Trump's policies and evaluate measures similar to those imposed by his predecessor.

"Biden would use the authority of Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives the President broad discretion to block the entry of certain immigrants if it would be 'detrimental' to the national interests of the US," The Hill noted, stating that Trump relied on that section.

The decree was expected to be issued before the end of April; now it is believed that it could be finalized on May 5, a holiday of Mexican origin, now celebrated as a symbol of Hispanic Americans.

Migrant rights advocates say action on work permits would benefit Biden. "It's good policy," said an analyst to Axios, especially as an approach to the Latino community where, according to some polls, there seems to be greater inclination towards Trump's candidacy.