The Truth Behind Immigration Policy
As election season draws closer, both Democratic and Republican candidates have kept Americans on the edge of their seats, scrambling to win votes with eloquent speeches and appealing promises.
Yet, an essential question lingers: who will actually deliver on their promises?
During his 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden pledged to lift Title 42, a significant advocacy for his democratic and pro-immigration voters. However, four years later, amid his re-election campaign, the Democratic president has enacted what might be one of the most restrictive asylum policies ever introduced by his party.
Title 42, a public health order introduced by President Trump during his 2016-2020 presidency, granted the United States the power to turn away asylum seekers to prevent COVID-19 contamination. Prior to Title 42, migrants could cross the border illegally, request asylum, and be allowed into the US. However, under the Trump administration's restrictions, some migrants would be denied the right to seek asylum and were subsequently sent back to their home countries, rather than being accepted. Despite this, there were no significant consequences for migrants who were returned, allowing them to repeatedly attempt to enter the US. In 2023, the Biden administration ended Title 42, giving temporary hope to people worldwide. However, the problems arose when Biden's team didn't stop there. They introduced a series of new shocking policies that not only limited the number of people allowed into the United States, but also introduced consequences for migrants crossing illegally—measures that had not been implemented before. . Under the new policies, migrants could no longer request asylum after already entering the US. Instead, they face a five-year re-entry ban and possible arrest.
In response to the confusion, some speculate that Biden's new immigration ban aims to attract more Republican votes by assuming a hardline stance on immigration. However, this approach has only done the exact opposite as it has cost him support in Congress. Democratic Senator Alex Padilla from California expressed his disagreement by noting that it was "disappointing to see an attempt to return to the same policies that were proven to fail in the Trump administration." Even Senator Chris Murphy, one of the Democratic architects of a recently failed anti-immigrant border bill—one of the most restrictive immigration proposals in decades—has not praised Biden for his efforts. Murphy stated he is "skeptical that the executive branch has the legal authority to shut down asylum processing between ports of entry on its own.” It’s clear that both sides of the immigration debate can agree that Biden’s policies crossed a border of its own— one that separated campaign promises from immigrant realities.
The problem is that Biden’s recent actions aren’t just concerning congress— it’s making American constituents scared for the future of democracy.
Because of the immigration bans that were too republican for the democrats, and even too extreme for the republicans, hopes of re-electing Biden as the main democratic candidate have dwindled, sending democrats into a full blown “freakout”. A democratic operative close in touch with the White House said, “you don’t want to be that guy who is on the record saying we’re doomed, or the campaign’s bad, or Biden’s making mistakes. Nobody wants to be that guy,” But Biden's poor decisions are what’s “creating the freakout” he continued. When even his closest supporters are questioning his decisions regarding immigration policy, it’s clear that there needs to be more thoughtful governmental actions.
As Biden’s administration has implemented policies, it’s now been left up to democratic organizations, who are concerned for their rights, to clean up the mess. They’ve determined that pro-immigrant action could help motivate more liberal Latino voters in states such as Nevada, a battleground state that Biden narrowly won in 2020 with the help of Latino voters, as stated by Reuters in Jan 2024. However, Trump has been competing neck and neck for Latino and migrant votes, and has expressed confidence about winning over this demographic. However, the passage of new policies has made Biden’s America seem more and more unstable for immigrants. This is making the choice much harder for voters in the fall as the line between the values of each candidate becomes increasingly unclear.
As we continue to navigate today's political landscape, people must tread with caution as we elect our future leaders.
It’s becoming more important to keep in mind that no matter what promises leaders champion through the campaigns, all that matters is who is able to effectively turn their words into action.
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/28/democrats-freakout-over-biden-00160047
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/what-does-bidens-new-asylum-ban-us-mexico-border-do-2024-06-05/
https://truthout.org/articles/biden-opposed-trumps-asylum-ban-in-2018-now-hes-implementing-it
