Borders of the United States

The United States will temporarily close its Mexico border to asylum seekers from Wednesday, as President Joe Biden tries to neutralize his political weakness on migration ahead of November's election battle with Donald Trump.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the deployment of hundreds of National Guard personnel to the US-Mexico border in an effort to curb "an expected surge in migrants after the lifting of Covid restrictions this week."

The government of US President Joe Biden has requested the deployment of 1,500 additional military personnel along the US-Mexico border because of the migrant flow that is expected from there after the lifting of restrictions against the spread of the coronavirus, reported Reuters and AFP, quoted by BTA.

The acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, John Sanders, is resigning and will leave his post on July 5, the agency said on June 25, a move that coincides with an outcry over the treatment of detained migrant children.

Tension mounted as hundreds of Central American migrants massed at a Mexican border town headed on Thursday for a bridge crossing to the United States as President Donald Trump renewed his threats to repel them, reported AFP.

Asserting the situation had reached "a point of crisis," President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on April 4 directing the deployment of the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to fight illegal immigration and drug smuggling.