
It’s Thursday aka Debate Day!
President Biden’s public schedule for 06/27/2024:
9:00 AM Pool Call Time | In-Town Pool Call Time The White House In-Town Pool |
10:00 AM Official Schedule | The President receives the President’s Daily Brief Camp David Closed Press |
11:30 AM Pool Call Time | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Joint Base Andrews Overhang Out-of-Town Pool |
12:00 PM Official Schedule | The President departs Camp David en route to Joint Base Andrews Camp David Closed Press |
12:50 PM Official Schedule | The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Atlanta, Georgia Joint Base Andrews Out-of-Town Pool |
1:30 PM Press Briefing | Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Gaggle Aboard Air Force One En Route to Atlanta, GA |
2:15 PM Official Schedule | The President arrives in Atlanta, Georgia Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Marietta, GA Open Press |
9:00 PM Official Schedule | The President participates in the First Presidential Debate; The First Lady attends CNN Studios, Atlanta Out-of-Town Pool |
11:10 PM Official Schedule | The President and The First Lady drop by a campaign event Atlanta Open Press |
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Gaggle Aboard Air Force One En Route to Atlanta, GA
Pact Act Tweet
From Wednesday…
Lisa, an Air Force veteran, and her husband Carl, a Vietnam combat engineer, were married 42 years before he lost his life to an Agent Orange-caused cancer.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 26, 2024
She and I sat down to discuss how the PACT Act has cared for her, and countless toxic-exposed veterans and their families. pic.twitter.com/COh1hmOxug
The video clip is 5 minutes and 32 seconds long.
An attempt was made to transcribe the video; it’s just too long. It also includes written text.
Border Tweet
From Wednesday…
Folks, since I announced a series of actions to secure our border and address our broken immigration system, unlawful border crossings have dropped more than 40%.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 26, 2024
That's what happens when you act to secure the border instead of using it as a political ploy. https://t.co/4JTHjXgC79
I still have a Washington Post sub, so here’s (I hope) the gift link to the article.
From the Department of Homeland Security
06/25/2024:
The Presidential Proclamation issued by President Biden to temporarily suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across the Southern border and the complementary joint interim final rule (IFR) issued by DHS and DOJ have now been in effect for three weeks, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of encounters at our Southwest Border. Under the IFR, asylum eligibility is generally limited for those who cross the southern border unlawfully or without authorization during times of high encounters. While it is still early, the Border Patrol’s 7-day encounter average has decreased more than 40 percent to under 2,400 encounters per day.
These executive actions are no substitute for Congressional action. Twice now, Congress has failed to pass the bipartisan border security agreement negotiated in the U.S. Senate, which would have provided the critical personnel and funding needed to further secure our Southern border. The agreement would have added 1,500 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agents and Officers, added 1,200 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, invested in technology to catch illegal fentanyl, and delivered sweeping reforms to the asylum system. Congress must still act.
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks. 06/25/2024.
Enhanced Enforcement and Consequences
Noncitizens who are subject to the rule’s limitation on asylum eligibility and who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States are being promptly removed. Those removed are subject to at least a five-year bar to reentry and potential criminal prosecution.
DHS personnel at CBP, ICE, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have quickly operationalized and implemented the Proclamation and IFR over the past three weeks, with notable impacts including:
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks. 06/25/2024.
- Average daily encounters by Border Patrol at the Southwest Border are below 2,400 per day, the lowest level of encounters since January 17, 2021, but still above the level that would lift the suspension under the Proclamation and IFR.
- DHS has removed and returned more than 24,000 individuals to more than 20 countries, including by operating more than 100 international repatriation flights.
- DHS has doubled the percentage of noncitizens removed or returned directly from Border Patrol custody.
- DHS has doubled the share of encounters processed through Expedited Removal while in USBP or ICE custody. Expedited Removal processing was already at record levels prior to the Declaration.
- DHS has decreased the number of people released pending their removal proceedings by over 65 percent.
- We continue to implement recently announced measures to increase the overall capacity of enforcement resources — including repatriation flights and detention capacity. ICE is optimizing air charter contracts to ensure the maximum amount of repatriation flights can be effectuated weekly. Over the past year, ICE averaged 29 repatriation flights per week. Record numbers of flights have been enabled by continued diplomatic efforts to significantly expand the number of countries to which ICE is able to regularly remove individuals.
- Over the last year, the agency has conducted removal flights to a range of South American and Eastern Hemisphere countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, and India. Efforts to expand the number of removal flights continue with the expectation of additional flights added to the schedule in the coming weeks.
- ICE ERO is adjusting existing detention facility contracts to expand the number of beds in its detention network.
Public Safety
The Presidential Proclamation and IFR have enhanced DHS’s capacity for enforcement against individuals who pose a public safety or national security threat, such as gang members attempting to enter the country unlawfully or without authorization, because the IFR renders those individuals ineligible for asylum and enables their quick removal. With the 1,500 Border Patrol Agents and CBP Officers that the bipartisan border security agreement would add, DHS would be able to enhance enforcement even further.
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks. 06/25/2024.
- DHS has returned more Border Patrol agents to the field to undertake front line border security operations, enhancing DHS efforts to interdict individuals who pose a threat to public safety.
- These efforts continue to expand and maximize DHS enforcement against individuals who pose a threat to our communities, including the announcement on May 9 of a Proposed Rule to apply statutory bars to asylum for individuals who pose a public safety concern earlier in the process, during the credible fear screening.
- To identify individuals of concern, DHS uses a range of resources and information, including information shared by partners worldwide, to inform screening and vetting and to target such individuals attempting to come to United States. DHS works tirelessly to expand access to additional foreign records systems through new international agreements.
- Along with law enforcement partners worldwide, DHS is constantly monitoring new and emerging threats, including the threat posed by criminal organizations that could present a concern to public safety. The Department conducts thorough screening and vetting for any individual that we encounter on the southern border who could be affiliated with these organizations.
- For example, DHS has implemented enhanced screening measures at the border to identify known or suspected gang members, including members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Individuals confirmed to be gang members are required to be referred for criminal prosecution or placed into Expedited Removal and detained.
How it Works
The Presidential Proclamation suspends the entry of noncitizens across the southern U.S. border, which includes the Southwest land and the southern coastal borders, with certain exceptions. The rule, issued consistent with the Proclamation, restricts asylum eligibility for those who cross the southern U.S. border unlawfully or without authorization. That means that noncitizens who have crossed unlawfully or without authorization since June 5, 2024, are considered ineligible for asylum, with certain exceptions.
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks. 06/25/2024.
- The limitation on asylum eligibility will be discontinued when encounters fall below certain levels but will come back into effect if encounters rise again. For additional details on the Proclamation and IFR, see the DHS fact sheet available at the following link:
Individuals in Mexico may continue to use the CBP One™ mobile app’s appointment scheduling function. Currently, CBP makes 1,450 appointments available per day at eight land ports of entry via this functionality. Use of the app requires those seeking an appointment to submit vital information in advance, improving DHS’s ability to conduct screening and vetting.
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks. 06/25/2024.
Building on Significant Actions to Enforce our Laws and Expand Access to Lawful Pathways and Processes
- A majority of all southwest border encounters during the past three fiscal years resulted in a removal, return, or expulsion. DHS removed or returned over 740,000 individuals in the 12 months after the end of the Title 42 public health Order, more than any year since 2010. This has included more removals to countries other than Mexico than in any prior year ever.
- DHS has significantly expanded its capacity to conduct credible fear interviews. Since May 12, 2023, DHS has conducted more than 152,000 credible fear interviews. The Proclamation and IFR follow a series of steps that the Administration has taken over the past three years as it prepared for the end of the Title 42 public health Order, and after it was lifted last year, including surging personnel, infrastructure, and technology to the border, issuing the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Rule, and referring record numbers of noncitizens into expedited removal.
For additional information on the actions taken over the past three years, see our fact sheet at the link below:
This Administration has also carried out the largest expansion of lawful pathways and orderly processes in decades. The Presidential Proclamation and corresponding rule are already enabling DHS to quickly remove those without a lawful basis to remain, strengthening enforcement and freeing up the asylum system for those with legitimate claims.
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks. 06/25/2024.
- Through the CHNV processes, nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who have a supporter and who clear background checks, may receive advanced travel authorization to travel to the United States lawfully, without going through dangerous and costly irregular migration routes. Through the end of May, more than 462,100 CHNV nationals have arrived lawfully through the process.
- Through the Safe Mobility initiative, U.S. government and international non-governmental organizations are working with several countries to establish centers where individuals can find information and screening for potential access to processes, including the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, and information on other pathways and orderly processes to the United States as well as other countries, such as Canada and Spain. More than 10,000 refugees have arrived in the United States through this initiative thus far.
Still, it is important to underscore that these actions cannot achieve the same results as Congressional action. DHS needs additional personnel and funding in order to quickly impose consequences on all noncitizens who cross irregularly and do not have a legal basis to remain in the United States.
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks. 06/25/2024.
From Thursday…
Congressional Republicans have twice blocked my plan to hire thousands of Border Patrol Agents and CBP Officers, go after fentanyl and drug traffickers, and fix our broken immigration system.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 27, 2024
I've done my job. Now Congress must do theirs.
From the White House…
06/04/2024:
- Remarks by President Biden on Securing Our Border; the YouTube is 9 minutes and 7 seconds long.
Gas Prices/Lowering House Costs Tweets
From Wednesday…
Average gas prices are now below $3.50, but they’re still too high.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 26, 2024
My Administration is doing everything in our power to bring them down. pic.twitter.com/Oykacgw4hy
Gas Buddy Guy 06/25/2024:
Due to several states that have #gasprice cycling, the national average is up to $3.46/gal this morning, which may rise another couple cents, but by the wknd should start declining again. Non-price cycling states should see just minor fluctuations, in the next few days, if any.
— Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) June 25, 2024
From 06/26/2024:
Source: their FB pic.twitter.com/zWbqdGkuwt
— Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) June 26, 2024
I know that prices are still too high.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 26, 2024
That’s why my Administration is working to lower costs by helping build more affordable housing and banning rental housing junk fees. pic.twitter.com/pcBq9HAZm1
From the White House…
06/26/2024:
Obergefell v. Hodges/Pride Month Tweets
From Wednesday…
Today, we celebrate the anniversary of the monumental marriage equality ruling of Obergefell v. Hodges.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 26, 2024
This case moved our country forward, and was made possible because of the courageous couples and advocates in the LGBTQI+ community who fought for these hard-won rights. pic.twitter.com/oGXc4oSJ6O
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the White House Pride Month Celebration; the YouTube is 13 minutes and 8 seconds long.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden:
Nine years ago today, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country. And now, thanks to Joe, marriage equality will remain the law of the land. His administration ended the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. He’s standing firmly against conversion therapy.
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the White House Pride Month Celebration; the YouTube is 13 minutes and 8 seconds long.
Nine years ago in Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court affirmed that love is love.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 26, 2024
And at the basis of that decision was the right to privacy – a fundamental right to make deeply personal decisions – that is now under attack. pic.twitter.com/Qe6EWydKbC
The video clip is 52 seconds long.
Jim Obergefell: The right to an abortion–the right for a woman to control her body, to make decisions for her body. One of those important rights that that rests on is the right to privacy. I’m Jim Obergefell. I am the named plaintiff from the landmark Supreme Court marriage equality case, Obergefell v. Hodges. Being part of the fight for marriage equality allowed me to understand the power of the Supreme Court and our court system have in this nation. These Supreme Court decisions, they have lasting impact and that impact can be positive like it was for marriage equality, Loving v. Virginia, or it can be negative. This Dobbs decision has the potential to wreak havoc in our nation. And when one fundamental right is lost, that means all fundamental rights are at risk.
From Thursday…
Last night, the White House opened its doors to thousands of Americans from all across the country to honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of the LGBTQI+ community, and to celebrate their legacy and progress. pic.twitter.com/4zfmt8GybF
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 27, 2024
“New” from the White House…
06/26/2024:
06/27/2024:
This is an open thread