A divisive new border rule

By Felicia Mello Migrants in line seek asylum at El Chaparral port of entry in San Diego in 2022. Photo by Carlos A. Moreno for CalMatters President Joe Biden’s executive order limiting asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border has divided California’s Democrats and led to concerns among immigration advocates that crossings will become more deadly for migrants, Fry reports. The order, signed Tuesday, suspends most migrants’ right to seek asylum between regular ports of entry whenever border crossings surge above 2,500 per day. That threshold has already been met this year, meaning the measure went into effect immediately, though the American Civil Liberties Union has said it plans to sue to block it. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla blasted President Biden for signing the order, which he said “undermined American values” by abandoning the country’s obligations to provide refuge to people fleeing persecution and violence. But other California Democrats said the move was necessary at a time when Congress has failed to pass bipartisan immigration reform. Driven by economic and political instability in Central and South America, border crossings between official points of entry reached a record high in December, though they have fallen in recent months. “The current system is...