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Biden Expected to Block Migrants from Asylum at US-Mexico Border

A drone view shows the US-Mexico border wall, in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, US June 3, 2024. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/ File Photo
A drone view shows the US-Mexico border wall, in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, US June 3, 2024. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/ File Photo
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Biden Expected to Block Migrants from Asylum at US-Mexico Border

A drone view shows the US-Mexico border wall, in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, US June 3, 2024. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/ File Photo
A drone view shows the US-Mexico border wall, in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, US June 3, 2024. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/ File Photo

US President Joe Biden is expected to sign a sweeping new border measure on Tuesday that would allow authorities to quickly deport or send back to Mexico migrants caught crossing the southwest border if illegal entries surpass a certain level, according to two sources with knowledge of the move.
The measure, which would restrict access to asylum, would take effect when US Border Patrol apprehensions surpass 2,500 per day, the two sources said. The illegal crossings would have to dip below 1,500 per day for the asylum restrictions to be lifted, one of the sources said.
The restrictions are not expected to apply to unaccompanied minors. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The election-year move is expected to trigger legal challenges from immigrant and civil rights groups who have criticized Biden, a Democrat, for adopting hardline policies that mirror those of his Republican predecessor, former President Donald Trump, Reuters said.
Biden has toughened his approach to border security as immigration has emerged as a top issue for voting-age Americans in the run-up to Nov. 5 elections where he will face Trump in a rematch of the 2020 contest.
Biden took office in 2021 vowing to reverse some of Trump's restrictive policies but grappled with record levels of migrants caught crossing illegally. Trump has criticized Biden for rolling back his policies and vowed a wide-ranging crackdown if reelected.
The new US restrictions mirror a Biden-backed Senate bill that aimed to block migrants from claiming asylum if the number of migrants caught crossing illegally reached a certain level. The bill was crafted by a bipartisan group of senators but Republicans rejected it after Trump came out in opposition.
The number of migrants caught crossing the US-Mexico border illegally dropped in recent months, a trend US officials partly attribute to increased Mexican enforcement.
Claudia Sheinbaum was elected as Mexico's first female president in a landslide victory on Sunday and will take office on Oct. 1. Biden's border restrictions could put pressure on Sheinbaum, the successor to current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, to keep illegal border crossings down.

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US Warns Iran at UN of 'Severe Consequences' in Case of New Attacks

United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks at the United Nations Security Council meeting, following a ballistic missile attack on Israel, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, October 2, 2024. (File photo: Reuters)
United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks at the United Nations Security Council meeting, following a ballistic missile attack on Israel, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, October 2, 2024. (File photo: Reuters)
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US Warns Iran at UN of 'Severe Consequences' in Case of New Attacks

United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks at the United Nations Security Council meeting, following a ballistic missile attack on Israel, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, October 2, 2024. (File photo: Reuters)
United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks at the United Nations Security Council meeting, following a ballistic missile attack on Israel, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, October 2, 2024. (File photo: Reuters)

The United States warned Iran at the United Nations Security Council on Monday of "severe consequences" if it undertakes any further aggressive acts against Israel or US personnel in the Middle East.
"We will not hesitate to act in self defense. Let there be no confusion. The United States does not want to see further escalation. We believe this should be the end of the direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the 15-member council.
The Security Council met after Israel struck missile factories and other sites in Iran before dawn on Saturday. It was retaliation for Iran's Oct. 1 attack on Israel with about 200 ballistic missiles.
Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saied Iravani accused Washington of being "complicit" through military support for its ally.
"Iran has consistently championed diplomacy," he told the council. "However, as a sovereign state, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its inherent right to respond at a time of its choosing to this act of aggression."
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon called on the Security Council to impose "crippling sanctions" on Iran's military and economic infrastructure and "take the necessary measures to prevent a lunatic regime from attaining nuclear capabilities."
He described Israel's strikes on Iran as "measured and proportionate" and said it would continue to defend itself.
"Any further aggression will be met with consequences that are swift and decisive," Danon told the council, adding that "Israel does not seek war."
China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong called on the United States - without specifically naming it - "to put saving lives and preventing war" first and support action by the UN Security Council to push for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a de-escalation of fighting between Israel and Lebanon.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called out the United States for its support of Israel.
"Jerusalem is not ready to give up on its choice to resolve all of its conflict situations with neighbors exclusively by force. Their determination to act that way is ... because they have the support and cover from American allies," he said.
Iran should not respond to Israel's weekend attack, said Britain's UN. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, adding: "All sides must exercise restraint. No good can come of pouring more fuel on the flames of this escalating cycle of violence."