America News Agency

Senior administration officials told a press conference that the order would take effect immediately. While some groups, including victims of human trafficking and unaccompanied minors, will be excluded from the ban, asylum seekers will be held to a much more rigorous standard to prove they have a credible fear of returning home.

Speaking at the White House with mayors of border towns, Biden said Republicans in Congress “left him no choice” but to take unilateral action after they blocked a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year.

“So today, I'm overcoming Republican obstructionism and using the executive authority I have as President to do what I can on the border,” Biden said. “Doing nothing is not an option. We have to act.”

The move comes amid growing public concern about the number of people crossing into the US and polls showing that a majority of Americans are unhappy with the President's handling of the border. The White House is under intense pressure from Republicans and some Democrats to reduce the number of people arriving at the southern border.