(Part-2) Biden promises to close border ‘right now’ if Congress passes a deal.

“Voters want to see our elected leaders do the hard work to fix our frayed immigration system,” said ACLU chief political and advocacy officer Deirdre Schifeling. In response to voters' requests for fair and effective immigration policies that manage the border and treat persons seeking protection with dignity, President Biden and Congress must discard these measures.

Biden is coping with an increase of asylum applicants while cracking down on illegal immigrants. Democrats are growing upset as asylum seekers flood cities without resources.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Saturday that Biden doesn't need congressional action to seal the border and could “take executive action immediately to reverse the catastrophe he has created.”

Immigration remains a prominent 2024 election issue. This month, an AP-NORC poll indicated 35% of respondents were concerned about immigration, up from 27% last year.

In 2024, 55% of Republicans and 22% of Democrats feel the government should prioritize immigration. This is increase from 45% and 14% in December 2022.

December saw a record number of Mexican border crossing arrests.

The Border Patrol made 249,785 Mexican border arrests in December, up 31% from 191,112 in November and 13% from 222,018 in December 2022, the previous record.

December saw 56,236 Mexican arrests and 46,937 Venezuelan arrests, reversing the October reduction caused by deportation flights to Venezuela. Guatemalans, Hondurans, and Colombians rounded out the top five nations arrested.

STAY TURNED FOR DEVELOPMENT