Democrats and Republicans have significantly converged when it comes to immigration policy. But they would never admit it.
When federal Judge Jon Tigar first struck down a new asylum policy out of Washington, most Americans knew who their hero was and who their villain was in the affair. Then-President Donald Trump had ordered that applications for asylum could only be submitted at official border crossings and that those who had entered the country illegally could not submit them. Some hated Trump for it, others hated the judge.
Trump dismissed him as an “Obama judge” and was reprimanded for his comment by the (conservative) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts, who said that America’s courts are independent.
Millions of Abuses
As if to prove the point, Tigar has now taken on Trump’s successor, Joe Biden. The Democrat is also trying to stop illegal border crossings.
In this attempt, Trump’s approach has been refined. Now, a person can apply for asylum at the border using an app, but must wait for months for the appointment. Also, applicants have to prove that they have already applied unsuccessfully for asylum in another country — except that there is hardly a functioning asylum system in Central America.
In addition, Biden has introduced quotas for immigrants from certain countries. In the end, though, even he believes that the old immigration system is broken because it has been abused millions of times.
That makes it all the more tragic that Republicans and Democrats will never admit how much they have converged on this issue. If Congress would pass new asylum legislation, less would depend on judges.
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