On Tuesday's broadcast of MSNBC's “Morning Joe,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said, “The Biden administration has proven incompetent in managing the immigration crisis,” and President Joe Biden said: “The Biden administration has proven incompetent in managing the immigration crisis.” “had the unilateral ability to issue an executive order restricting immigration in December 2019.'' The order was “unpopular among far-left elites who hold tremendous power over Democratic Party policymaking and messaging.”
Mr. Torres said:[O]There was real political malfeasance when it came to immigration. Since 2022, there has been an unprecedented wave of immigration, the effects of which have been felt not only at the border but also in cities like New York, where shelter systems and municipal finances have been completely overwhelmed. …Despite clear signs of public discontent, it took two and a half years for the Biden administration to issue an executive order restricting immigration at the border, but by then it was too late. Republicans won this issue and used it as a weapon against us. And when the president issues an executive order, polls show that it is popular among Americans, blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, people of all racial categories. It became clear. So if it is effective in reducing immigration at the border and is popular among Americans, why did it take two and a half years to issue the executive order? This was because it was unpopular among the far-left elite, who had tremendous power over message delivery. And therein lies the problem. ”
Torres also said that while inflation is a problem, it is a global problem and the Biden administration has been hurt by the situation.
“If we take inflation and immigration off the table, we can win elections because Donald Trump's net favorability ratings are chronically low,” Torres said afterward. So regardless of the disinformation, we would have won the election had it not been for structural causes like inflation and the immigration crisis. ” And while Republicans aren't actually interested in solving the immigration problem, the president's party is being held accountable, saying, “When the Biden administration showed incompetence in managing the immigration crisis, the American people “has punished Democratic candidates in the 2024 election.”
Mr. Torres further stated: “You have to be on par with the American people, right? Americans are not stupid. You can't gaslight. People know the reality on the ground. People know their own lived experience. And… Republicans have once again acted in bad faith and blocked a bipartisan border security compromise and should be held accountable, but the president does not have the unilateral authority to issue executive orders restricting immigration at the border. Yes, I waited two days – six months, and for me it's political injustice and we need to be honest about it.
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