The number doubled during the Trump era after he declared a moratorium on immigrant deportations on his first day in office.
Not only the Republican Party but also the Democratic Party criticize Biden for not being able to solve the immigration problem.
Ultimately, he requested legislation to strengthen immigration control from Congress and pledged to crack down on a large scale.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 30th (local time) that the biggest negative factor for U.S. President Joe Biden’s re-election bid is a surge in immigration.
On his first day in office, President Biden followed his convictions and stopped deporting almost all immigrants. The intention was to emphasize that the United States is a humanitarian country.
However, as chaos intensifies along the southern U.S. border, it is becoming negative news for Biden’s reelection bid. The annual number of people entering the U.S. has broken a new record, more than double the number during the Trump administration, and the immigration management system is not working.
Ultimately, President Biden requested Congress on the 26th to strengthen the president’s authority to block the border.
President Biden emphasized in a statement, “If the authority is given, I will exercise it on the day the bill takes effect.” However, there are many factors beyond Biden’s control, including the collapse of Venezuela, increased global immigration, and stubborn obstruction by Republican lawmakers. Above all, Republican lawmakers have controlled the budget, blocked legislative changes, and publicly undermined the activities of border area security officials.
According to more than 35 officials interviewed by the NYT, President Biden has failed to deal with the immigration issue. As a result, the humanitarian crisis for immigrants has deepened along the border and in major cities across the country. Many voters believe that immigration is the biggest presidential election issue and see Biden as failing to properly address this issue.
Biden’s efforts to restore balance in immigration policy and rebuild the immigration system are being criticized by both Democrats and Republicans as they lose effectiveness due to the rapid increase in immigration.
As controversy over immigration policy continues among White House staff, rising prices, economic difficulties, and political polarization have divided the United States over whether the United States, a nation of immigrants, should accept more immigrants.
◆Surge in child immigrants
Starting in the spring of 2021, children with families in the United States began entering the country in thousands. President Biden attempted to treat them humanely. However, the situation in which thousands of children are crowded into immigrant detention centers along the border and eventually forced into poor jobs in the United States is not the situation that Americans wanted from a president.
On his first day in office, he sent an immigration bill to Congress and suspended the deportation of illegal immigrants for 100 days, and more immigrants began to flock.
Then the Republican Party won. They immediately repealed President Biden’s new immigration law and attacked the president’s mistake, saying that the number of human traffickers and criminals is increasing rapidly.
President Biden, a Democrat at heart, ignored criticism and was confident that he could end the chaos during the Trump administration.
But the situation in immigrant detention centers full of children was the exact opposite of what the president had expected. Then the president became angry at his subordinates. He said White House staff recommended that the children be returned, but he refused, calling the president’s actions inhumane and unconscionable.
◆Surge in Haitian immigrants
The president’s patience was tested again.
When the limit on the number of immigrants from Haiti was expanded in April 2021, 19,752 Haitian immigrants crossed the border in September of that year.
White House security officials worked hard to prevent the situation from worsening and leading to a political crisis, but it was not enough. As thousands of people were deported, differences within the government grew.
Susan Rice and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who were President Biden’s domestic policy advisers until last summer, supported a strong crackdown.
But many people opposed the deportation of Haitians, calling it a betrayal of Biden’s promises. The president’s special envoy to Haiti, Daniel Foote, also resigned.
◆Revolt of the Democratic Party
From the beginning, the Republican Party refused to discuss President Biden’s immigration reform. Republican governors and others began to move independently. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has begun sending thousands of immigrants to major cities controlled by Democrats. It was a show, but it had a great effect.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent him on a plane to Martha’s Vineyard Island, a resort for Democratic elites. Then, buses arrived one after another in New York City.
Democratic Party leaders who were tired of this raised their voices calling for the president to take action. New York City Mayor Eric Adams emphasized that without support from the federal government, New York City’s finances are on the verge of collapse due to immigrants.
Those currently calling for stronger immigration controls are not limited to former President Donald Trump. Many Democratic lawmakers feel the same way. Public opinion also shifted to support strengthening border controls.
◆Asylum restrictions
In early 2023, President Biden announced that asylum would be strictly controlled. Human rights groups then criticized asylum control. The Republican Party criticized it as being too lenient.
Staff members who supported easing immigration policies resigned. The remaining staff recommended strengthening border controls.
Republicans criticize the new measures as still weak, but human rights activists say they are the same for Biden and Trump.
The situation became more complicated as the Republican Party linked support for Ukraine with strengthening border controls. In the past, the Democratic Party would have been upset, but even Democratic Party members were angry with the government.
Ultimately, on the 6th of last month, President Biden announced his intention to compromise with the Republican Party’s demands.
◆Border situation still confusing
In the three years since Biden took office, the situation has only gotten worse every week.
A high school in New Mexico is closing several times a month. This is because immigrants are flocking to the playground. In Texas, immigrants can be seen spending the night in the yard of every house.
Last month, border officials blocked the railroad bridge that runs from Mexico to Texas through Checkpoint Eagle. It was discovered that the driver who had received bribes had slowed down while passing through Mexico and allowed immigrants to board the train.
Closing the bridge was a last resort. Last month, the number of people entering the country through the Eagle checkpoint exceeded 10,000 per day.
President Biden called Mexican President Andres Manuel López. He called for a resumption of measures that halted deportations of immigrants due to lack of funding.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall visited Mexico and received Mexico’s promise to resume deporting immigrants.
President Biden has not apologized for strengthening immigration policies while campaigning for re-election. Rather, on the 27th, President Biden pledged to crack down on large-scale immigration while campaigning in South Carolina.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.