Just two weeks ago, President Joe Biden issued an executive order designed to show he’s tough on illegal immigration by partially closing the border. Now Republicans say he is heading in the opposite direction with a move that will help some illegal immigrants obtain legal status.

Biden announced on Tuesday that he will give illegal immigrants married to U.S. citizens an easier path to citizenship in response to pressure from his left flank. Two weeks earlier, he rolled out a policy to deny asylum to illegal border crossers as polling shows immigration to be a major flashpoint in the 2024 race for president.

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