The recent surge of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border has put President Joe Biden in a difficult, politically threatening bind.
Democratic leaders who should be supporting President Biden are criticizing how he’s handling immigration. Donald Trump, a likely opponent in 2024, is strongly criticizing Biden’s approach, an issue he’s focused on for years. Public support for Biden on this issue is also dropping.
Even though the election is over a year away, the immigration problem is causing trouble for Biden. This is because Republican governors are sending newly arrived migrants to cities run by Democrats, causing tension. The situation is getting worse. In September, around 210,000 undocumented migrants were caught by US Border Patrol, which is the highest number this year and close to the record in late 2022.
The type of people coming in suggests this might not stop soon. About a quarter of the people caught at the border last month were from Venezuela. Venezuela is a South American country that’s going through tough times because of their leader, Nicolas Maduro. Many Venezuelans are leaving, creating a crisis in the region. Over seven million have left, with over 150,000 heading towards the US in the past two months, according to Panama’s government.
“People don’t leave their homes unless they have to,” said Janet Napolitano, who was in charge of homeland security during Obama’s time. “They’re usually in really bad situations – like being very poor, not having jobs, high crime, violence, and no strong government in their home countries.
Recently, President Biden made two moves to deal with the big increase in immigration. But these actions have led to criticism from various sides. He gave special permissions for building more border walls and released money for it. He also said that the US will start sending Venezuelans back directly, which had stopped because of problems between the two countries.
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The new actions taken by President Biden received criticism from both sides. Some who are tough on immigration said it wasn’t enough, while those who support more open immigration thought it was too much. The president’s explanations made things even more confusing, saying he still thinks walls don’t work but was told by Congress to spend money on them.
The announcement about Venezuelans also shows a shift in the administration’s approach. Last month, they allowed around half a million Venezuelan refugees in the US to apply for work permits and avoid deportation for 18 months.
Trying to make everyone happy, President Biden seems to be pleasing no one. This problem has come up before in his presidency when it comes to border policies. Immigration is a very divisive topic, in large part because of Trump’s strong stance on building a wall and his sometimes harsh policies. This has made it harder for Biden to make decisions about the crises.
While Barack Obama could enforce stricter immigration policies without upsetting liberal activists, President Biden doesn’t have that same freedom. Every move he makes on immigration is seen through the lens of intense political division between Democrats and Republicans, with Trump leading one side and the Democrats on the other.
Recent polls show that in this political battle, the public is starting to turn against President Biden. In one survey, more people said they trust Trump over Biden when it comes to immigration and border security. This is a big shift from other issues like abortion and climate change, where Biden has stronger support.
Another poll found that a higher percentage of Americans now think Republicans are better at handling immigration compared to Democrats. This is a change from the time when more people leaned towards the Democrats during Trump’s presidency.
The continuous troubling news from the border and the strain on services in big US cities where migrants are settling are affecting how people feel. If the crisis doesn’t improve before the 2024 election season, the president will be in a tough position compared to his Republican opponent.
According to Ms. Napolitano, fixing the immigration problem needs a strong effort from Biden’s team. It involves talking to other countries, investing in them to reduce reasons to migrate, and having strict border security and effective immigration laws (which may need changes).
In the end, the criticism Biden gets for his immigration actions this week isn’t as important as whether these new policies actually work. If they don’t, and if the Biden administration’s other attempts to stop the flow of migrants from Venezuela and elsewhere also fail, his chances of being re-elected become more uncertain.
https://www.bbc.com/news/67033249
SOURCE:BBC