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President Biden has confirmed that he is actively exploring whether he possesses the unilateral authority to close the southern border with Mexico, a consideration driven by surging daily crossings and operational challenges.

In a discussion with Univision’s Enrique Acevedo, the President said, “We’re examining whether or not I have that power. When the border has over … 5,000 people a day trying to cross the border because you can’t manage it, slow it up. There’s no guarantee that I have that power all by myself without legislation. And some have suggested I should just go ahead and try it. And if I get shut down by the court, I get shut down by the court. But we’re trying to…work through that right now.”

The exploration of such executive power follows the failure of a bipartisan border security bill, which has intensified the political discourse around immigration policies. Biden’s remarks in his State of the Union address blamed political interference from former President Donald Trump, which he believes undermined a constructive bipartisan effort on addressing the border crisis. “It’s not about him or me. It’d be a winner for America,” he stated.

President Biden also criticized former President Trump’s politicization of legislative decisions. He accused Trump of actively discouraging Republican support for the bill to deny Biden a political victory. He said, “When the hell would you vote on a major piece of legislation based on whether you benefit somebody that’s in politics? It’s either good or it’s bad. It was a good piece of legislation, and I’m not giving up on it.”