President Joe Biden shared during an interview this week that he was planning on issuing an executive order that would limit the number of asylum-seekers who can cross the southern border.
Biden shared his intentions while speaking with the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision in an interview that aired on Tuesday.
“We’re examining whether or not I have that power,” Biden said during the interview.
To limit the number of asylum-seekers, Bide would use authority in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the president broad leeway to block entry of certain immigrants if it would be considered “detrimental” to the country’s national interest, Axios reported.
Issuing an executive order that would take such an action is something out of his predecessor’s playbook, as former President Donald Trump leaned on the authority given to him while he was in office.
The president says he has some support for the possible action, which he is considering doing before the end of April.
“Some are suggesting that I should just go ahead and try it,” Biden said. “And if I get shut down by the court, I get shut down by the court.”
Still, Biden says there is “no guarantee” he has the ability to take action without legislation from Congress, but he plans to lean in on something being done.