Even some Democrats say the president has waited far too long to visit the border and recognize the problem. Now, can he fix it?
The border crisis is putting President Joe Biden in a tough spot. His approval ratings have suffered due to the ongoing problem, but he’s now trying to leverage the failure of the Senate border bill to blame former President Donald Trump for the crisis.
“Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends,” President Biden said in early February after Republicans in Congress tanked a bipartisan border bill he was prepared to sign into law.
However, recent polls show that the president’s message doesn’t appear to be resonating with independent voters and many of his supporters, who are concerned about his failure to address the border issue.
In his recent State of the Union address, President Biden continued to shift the blame to his predecessor and Republicans in Congress, saying “politics have derailed” his recent border deal.
“We can fight about the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it. Send me the border bill now,” he said in a fiery address.
However, Democrats are divided on the issue. Progressives are against any potential limitation on asylum. They want to safeguard the ability of illegal immigrants to seek asylum at the border. In the early days of the Biden administration, they played a significant role in shaping the immigration policy of the president and reversing the Trump administration’s border measures.
Meanwhile, Democrats in red or swing states and districts express concern about the surge in illegal crossings. They call on President Biden to take executive action to address the problem.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a rare red state Democrat in the Senate, sent a letter to President Biden on Feb. 29 urging him to to secure the border.
“What’s happening at the southern border is unacceptable, plain and simple,” he wrote in the letter. “I respectfully urge you to use all of the remaining tools at your disposal to strengthen border security where executive action is possible.”
By Emel Aka
