President Joe Biden is dangling new border fencing, praising a border plan pushed by Mexico’s president as he seeks to restore support among alienated and disappointed Latino voters.
In response to a question on the Spanish-language Univision television network, Biden was asked whether he intended to issue an executive order to curb the influx. avoided By saying:
Without a law, there is no guarantee that I have that authority on my own. And some say you should try it. And if I’m shut down by the court, I’m shut down by the court. We are trying to solve it now.
By contrast, former President Donald Trump used a myriad of presidential legal and diplomatic powers in 2019 to significantly reduce illegal immigration in 2020.
Biden’s border avoidance is rational. That’s because groups critical of Biden’s coalition — West Coast investors and anti-border progressives — have successfully blocked proposals to curb the influx of immigrant workers, consumers and rental housing. Because I do.
Axios report “While not final, such an executive order is likely to be issued by the end of April.” The site claimed that Biden “will use the authority” in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to remove some immigrants as “detrimental” to U.S. interests.
Biden also may not need effective policy changes to curb immigration. His lawmakers are already negotiating containment measures with Mexico that would reduce the visibility of unplanned flows. And even a lackluster policy change would help declare that we are curbing immigration from our borders.
Mr. Biden’s representatives have blasted his claims that he would tighten border regulations. “What people want to see is order and humanity in the immigration system — not cuts or restraints,” said Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. Said of washington post last month. “The president is not talking about closing the borders,” President Chávez Rodriguez said. retrained at Berkeley She is the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, a labor leader in the 1960s who strongly opposed immigration.
A Univision correspondent told Biden that Mexico’s Andrés Manuel is pushing for a long-term border deal that would reward Mexico and several other states for restricting the flow of economic migrants into American communities and workplaces.・I asked about President López Obrador.
“I think his ideas are consistent with what I’ve been pushing for, and I think we should do the same,” Biden said.
“Do you have a good personal relationship with him?” the university organizer asked. “I think so,” Biden said, adding:
I think he’s honest. He never teases me. he knows what he wants. He keeps his promises. That’s all I can ask.
Biden’s comments about Mr. Obrador are significant because Mr. Biden’s agents and Mr. Obrador entered into a secret agreement in December directing Mexican police to intercept migrants attempting to reach the U.S. border. have. The deal, despite significantly reducing unscheduled migrant arrivals at the border, has been ignored by the US media and, without requiring any political fights or compromises within Biden’s coalition, allows lawmakers to claim the border is coming back under control.
But the price Biden is paying Mexico is high. For example, Biden has earmarked about 120,000 immigrant “parole pipeline” slots for Mexicans, but has also remained silent as Obrador ignores the lucrative but deadly drug smuggling by Mexican cartels. ing.of financial times report April 5th:
[As] Mr. Obrador’s six-year term is coming to an end, and former intelligence and security experts say much of Mexico’s cooperation with the agency has disappeared. Overdosing on fentanyl (much of which is produced in Mexico) is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, just as the criminal organizations that distribute the drug have expanded their territorial control. and the DEA’s relationship reached a low point.
“This is one of the most difficult issues in our bilateral relationship,” said Christopher Landau, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021. . . [crying] I tried yelling to reset it, but it was very difficult to accomplish. ”
Moreover, the Biden-Obrador agreement still allows the administration to allow large numbers of economic migrants to flow into the United States through a range of semi-legal channels. These pathways include a significantly increased parole pipeline and the release of asylum seekers without regard to federal law requiring detention until their asylum claims are resolved.
These economic immigrants will reduce pressure on CEOs to raise Americans’ wages, invest in labor-saving workplace technology, and expand trade with South America, Africa, and Asia. The influx also causes housing prices to rise.
Overall, Biden will have imported one legal, illegal, or semi-legal immigrant for every American born during his term.
Not surprisingly, Biden’s policies are deeply unpopular among voters, including many Latino voters.
For example, the Public Policy Institute of California poll Out of 1,075 likely California voters. It asked voters to decide:[1] Today’s immigrants benefit California because of their hard work and work skills, or [2] Today’s immigrants are a burden to California as they use public services. ”
44% of likely voters and 41% of Latin Americans chose “burden.” According to a poll, 48% of people in battleground states said relocation was a burden.
February public opinion poll Asked“Generally speaking, do you think recent immigrants who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border are making American society better or worse?”
“Worst” was chosen by 42 percent, 38 percent of whom were Latino. “Better” was selected by 32%, 39% of whom were Latino. A quarter of respondents said it would not make a big difference either way.
According to an April 9th Ipsos poll. report:
In general, Latinos have slightly lower favorability ratings for major politicians, including President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
A plurality of Latinos have an unfavorable view of Biden (41% favorable, 47% unfavorable), while Trump is even less favorable (32% favorable, 56% unfavorable). ).
…
Just over half of Latinos say inflation (53%) is the issue they are most concerned about. Crime and gun violence (34%) and immigration (28%) fall into her second top concerns. Less than one in five (16%) said political extremism and polarization were their biggest concern.
Biden then used the Univision interview to restore support among Latinos. For example, he told Univision that he is pushing ahead with a plan to lower housing costs while raising them by importing at least 10 million legal, semi-legal, or illegal immigrants.
Axios reported in March that Biden’s staff was looking for ways to address voters’ concerns about housing costs.
So far, Republicans have largely ignored the fiscal damage caused by Biden’s immigration. Instead, they are using immigration to boost turnout among Republican voters by blaming the crime, disorder, and drug smuggling enabled by Biden’s policies.
But some Republicans are starting to cite other costs, including increased poverty, immigrant deaths and increased burdens on local governments.
I flew to Phoenix, Arizona and went to the infamous “Zone” which has the second highest concentration of homeless encampments I have ever seen. He camps 50 square blocks on almost every square inch of sidewalk. Several homeowners we spoke to were understandably not happy. pic.twitter.com/dysBXJlnkN
— Kevin Dahlgren (@kevinvdahlgren) April 9, 2024
Republicans have so far not mentioned the economic consequences of Biden’s move, including lower wages, higher inflation and higher housing costs. That could help win over swing voters and white-collar college graduates.
