Biden, the Election and the Border

The idea is to show that Republicans are addicted to using the immigration issue as a tool.

The growing political-electoral pressure that President Joe Biden is under to adopt tough measures on the border with Mexico highlights the discomfort of a significant part of Americans and the need for more dialogue and cooperation with Mexican authorities.

Biden will likely enact increasingly tougher measures in light of the U.S. election season.

According to at least one report, Democrats are seeking to launch “a border offensive” to put Republicans on the defensive on the issue that is at the center of their electoral strategy.

An important part will be carried out by the Democratic majority in the Senate, where earlier this year they negotiated — with Republicans — a bill that would include a budget for border measures, but which Republicans ended up rejecting at the request of their presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

The central idea is to demonstrate that “Republicans are addicted to using the issue of immigration as a political tool. They are allergic to solving the problem.”*

In fact, between irony and derision, the specialized magazine Politico reported that the Democrats affirm that “we should give Republicans another chance to vote for this bill.”**

The idea announced by Democratic leader Sen. Charles Schumer is part of changes determined by the Biden administration this week in the asylum law that would allow a more expeditious deportation of immigrants or asylum seekers who are considered threats to national security.

It is an early sign of what could be multiple executive actions by President Biden to try to reduce the number of people crossing the border illegally. But mostly, a continued — and frequent — display of Republicans as hypocrites who are politically managing an issue for which they have repeatedly called for action, only to then backtrack.

Weakening the Republican attacks on the border could be essential for Democrats to remain in power, analysts said, since the border issue, with its immigration and drug trafficking components, is considered the main, if not the only, Republican electoral argument.

The problem is not new, it is serious, and has only worsened over time. Where a decade ago there was talk of tens or hundreds of thousands of people, now there is talk of millions; where there was talk of resentment or irritation of thousands of people in the border region and ultra-nationalist expressions, now there are surveys where the arrival of migrants — especially undocumented — and refugees is considered a crisis, or at least a serious problem.

The truth is also that, whether it wants to or not, the Mexican government seems to act as an interactive spectator, although it should be noted that the Biden administration has repeatedly highlighted the cooperation of Mexican authorities.

*Editor’s note: This statement was made by Sen. Chris Murphy.

**Editor’s note: This statement was made by Sen. Charles Schumer.