Biden to sign executive order to close southern US border to asylum seekers

President's sharp political U-turn aimed at stemming record surge and winning support on key voter concern

Joe Biden will this week sign an executive order to temporarily close the southern US border to asylum seekers in a sharp political U-turn aimed at winning support on a key voter concern in a presidential election year.

The US president is expected to sign the order as early as Tuesday to seal the border with Mexico to migrants when numbers of asylum claimants rise above a daily threshold of 2,500.