Mayorkas confronted over timing of Biden's asylum ban

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended President Joe Biden's new executive action restricting asylum and emphasized the efforts made by personnel to implement the policy shift at the southern border. The executive action, announced last Tuesday, bars migrants from seeking asylum once a daily threshold of illegal border crossings is met. Mayorkas highlighted the need for Congress to address border security issues and rejected criticism that the new policy does not effectively secure the border. He also addressed concerns about the impact of the policy and emphasized the administration's commitment to changing the "risk calculus" for those crossing the border. Despite pushback from some progressive Democrats and the ACLU, Mayorkas stood by the legality of the executive action and emphasized the importance of legislative action by Congress to address border challenges.