WSJ: Biden ready to toughen immigration policy to unlock financial aid to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden has agreed to introduce a tougher immigration policy to unblock aid to Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reports citing informed sources.

The agreement is intended to limit the possibility of asylum in the United States for migrants who enter the country through the southern border.

Also, the White House may support a ban on granting asylum to migrants who entered the US through a neighboring country, if they did not first apply for asylum there.

As WSJ interlocutors noted, the administration wants to reduce the flow of migrants to the US border and minimize repressive measures.

Reducing immigration would also help Biden fend off criticism from the Republican Party ahead of the 2024 presidential election and win over voters, the WSJ writes. The publication emphasizes that almost 70% of Americans do not approve of the migration policy of the current president, and 63% believe that he should act more strictly.

• On October 20, 2023, Biden submitted a request to Congress for approximately $106 billion in additional funding. In particular, it included aid to Ukraine ($61.4 billion, the largest package) and Israel ($14.3 billion), as well as the provision of funds for the security of the US southern border. However, consideration of the document was blocked by representatives of the Republican Party, who insist on strengthening measures to control migration at the US-Mexico border. Biden called the Republicansʼ refusal to support the bill political blackmail, noting that "the stakes are too high." The White House expects that the US Congress will be able to pass it in January.
• The deadline for the US Congress to approve additional funding for Ukraine is the end of January, otherwise the delay will affect the situation at the front, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasized on January 17.