Border Crisis Escalates as Biden Pressures Mexico and Republicans Threaten Shutdown

Record illegal crossings and political deadlock intensify as Biden seeks $14 billion in border funding amid GOP opposition.

President Joe Biden's administration is under pressure to address the border crisis, with a strategy that mirrors former President Donald Trump's approach of pressuring Mexico to become the lead immigration enforcer.
House Republicans are threatening to force a partial government shutdown unless Congress enacts strict new changes to immigration law, including limiting migrants’ ability to claim asylum, restarting construction of a border wall, and reducing President Biden’s power to grant humanitarian parole to migrants.
Federal agents recorded nearly 250,000 illegal crossings along the southern border in December, the highest total ever in one month.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is considering negotiating directly with the White House on border security, as he needs the support of the conservative House Freedom Caucus to maintain power.
President Biden is requesting $14 billion in new border funding, which is being criticized by Republicans who believe it would be used to facilitate the current flow of illegal crossers and relocate them around the U.S., thereby increasing the incentive for more to come.