The White House is considering using provisions of federal immigration law that former President Trump repeatedly used to enact a border crackdown on its own. This includes Section 212(f) which gives the president broad authority to block immigrants if detrimental to national interest. Trump used 212(f) for his Muslim ban, which Biden later rescinded, but it could now be deployed in various ways by Biden. One option discussed is kicking in 212(f) powers if daily illegal border crossings exceed 5,000 daily for a five-day average. The administration is exploring this due to Republican opposition to its border bill in Congress.
