AZ border mayors shun Biden's invite to unveil executive order curbing asylum

Mayors of Arizona's main border cities rejected an invitation from President Joe Biden to join him in Washington this week to unveil an executive action that is expected to curb access to asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The announcement could come as early as Tuesday, but the White House has not confirmed any details. However, the Biden administration did reach out the mayors of U.S. border communities to invite them to join him in Washington for the announcement.

The offices of San Luis Mayor Nieves Riedel and Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls confirmed that they received an invitation from the White House. But Riedel and Nicholls declined, citing scheduling conflicts. The mayor of Nogales has not responded to requests for comment.

Douglas Mayor Donald Huish told The Republic that he was not invited to Washington, but said he would be anxiously listening to the announcement.

"At least I hope it starts a conversation again. That maybe Congress can jump in and try to iron this out, do the right thing," Huish said.

So far, the mayors of two Texas border cities have confirmed they will be traveling to Washington from Brownsville and Edinburg in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the Associated Press. This area was the busiest crossing route into the United States for nearly a decade, before the flow of migrants shifted west to Del Rio and to Arizona.

The executive order that Biden is expected to unveil as early as Tuesday would allow U.S. border officials to shut down asylum processing along the U.S.-Mexico border if the number of migrant encounters in between the ports of entry reaches 2,500 per day over a week-long period.

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The effect at the border would be immediate. In April, the last month with available data, the U.S. Border Patrol encountered on average about 4,200 migrants per day along the southern U.S. border. That would allow the Border Patrol to shut down access to asylum in between border crossings, even though the number of migrant crossings has decreased considerably so far this year.

Even though the text or full details of the executive action remain under wraps, immigration and migrant advocacy groups did not wait to speak out against the expected executive order.

"The decision by this administration to criminalize migrants, many of whom are fleeing harm, is deeply disturbing and misguided," said Sarah Rich, the senior supervising attorney and interim senior policy counsel at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“We have witnessed how such prosecutions can be weaponized to separate and traumatize immigrant families," Rich added. "Prosecuting people seeking safety in the U.S. for these immigration violations will lead to more Black and Brown people being incarcerated at the expense of immigrant families and communities."

Have any news tips or story ideas about immigration in the Southwest? Reach the reporter at [email protected], or follow him on X (formerly Twitter): @RafaelCarranza.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona border mayors decline Biden invitation to unveil asylum order