Two former and two current Department of Homeland Security officials say they are concerned by President Joe Biden's vow to "shut down" the border, NBC News is reporting.
Biden made his comments at a campaign event in South Carolina on Saturday. He also said Democrat and Republican lawmakers are making progress on a bill which includes new border security
"A bipartisan bill would be good for America and help fix our broken immigration system and allow speedy access for those who deserve to be here, and Congress needs to get it done," Biden said, according to The Associated Press. "It'll also give me as president, the emergency authority to shut down the border until it could get back under control. If that bill were the law today, I'd shut down the border right now and fix it quickly."
The bill being considered would force DHS to close the border if the daily average for migrant encounters reaches 5,000 over a seven-day period or if the number of crossings in a single day hits 8,500, according to NBC News' sources.
About 1,400 undocumented migrants per day would be allowed to cross legally through ports of entry during a shutdown. And the restrictions would not be pulled back until the number of migrant encounters fell below 75% of the number that triggered the closure and then stayed below 75% for at least a week, the network said. DHS would then have two weeks to reopen the border.
But the four DHS sources told NBC News that closing the border would require Mexico to take back migrants.
One of the former DHS officials claimed Biden's vow is not based on logistical reality but is a political message.
"You can't shove back 8,000 migrants a day without the Mexicans' approval," the former official said. "What you would create is frantic surges in the weakened parts of the border."
And another former official said some Customs and Border Protection agents and officers are upset with Biden's comments about "shutting down" the border because it could spark chaos.
"It seems to be strictly political," the second former official said. "CBP and Border Patrol are pretty upset at this point."