President Biden’s assertion that he is willing to sign a border deal that will significantly make it harder for immigrants to enter the United States is a necessary and long-overdue effort to restore public confidence in the federal government’s ability to maintain immigration control. It’s a measure.
The flood of asylum seekers crossing the southern border is straining the government’s ability to fairly deal with their claims. Immigrant needs are straining the resources of cities and towns across the country. Without federal aid, these communities find it difficult to maintain humane conditions for all who cross. This situation is intolerable.
Democrats were too slow to respond to increasingly urgent pleas for action from mayors, governors, and voters. Republicans deserve credit for urging action and should congratulate Biden for embracing many of the tougher border security measures he has long called for. But Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, insists that Republicans will veto the bill as it takes shape in the Senate. Several Senate Republicans said Trump was blocking immigration to keep it a campaign issue. Indiana Sen. Todd Young called the move “tragic” to derail negotiations. Nevertheless, Young and other Senate Republicans continue to work with their Democratic colleagues to reach a compromise.
But House Republicans don’t seem interested in enacting the law. They instead complied with Trump’s request. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill the Senate sent to the House “is dead on arrival.” Instead of negotiating with Democrats, they are pursuing a farcical effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Republican leaders outside Congress are engaging in other forms of obstruction. The Oklahoma Republican Party voted to censure Republican Sen. James Lankford for his role in leading Senate negotiations. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who has long used human life as a political tool, has directed the Texas National Guard to disrupt the work of federal immigration agents along the southern border. These measures have created a constitutional conflict between state and federal governments, and there are regular reports of people drowning or being injured by barbed wire installed by states over the objections of federal authorities. This created a dangerous situation.
This political maneuvering is counterproductive and distracts from the scale of the problem, with more immigrants entering the United States at the southern border than ever before. As Miriam Jordan of the Times reported, 2.5 million people will arrive in fiscal year 2023, “more people than live in most U.S. cities.”
This is a migration driven by issues of left behind, opportunity in the United States, and the ease of entering this country and staying here. It’s no secret that people can legally enter the United States by identifying themselves as asylum seekers. Without the resources to adjudicate these claims quickly, the government is allowing hundreds of thousands of people to live and work in the United States while awaiting hearings.
A proposed deal being developed in the Senate would reportedly provide funding to raise standards for asylum applications and speed up decisions. It could help expand other forms of legal immigration and take some pressure off the asylum process. It also includes a provision that Mr. Biden has accepted that would limit the number of immigrants who can apply for asylum on any given day. This provision could prevent many people from applying for asylum, no matter how strong their claims.
The details of border agreements will require careful scrutiny to avoid a shift from a policy of arbitrary tolerance to a policy of arbitrary cruelty.
It’s unfortunate that Biden has waited so long to speak out forcefully on this issue, but he’s right to urge Congress to come to an agreement. Whatever the fate of this bill, Americans must never lose sight of what Congress can do if it chooses. Congress can and should invest the resources and authority necessary to take back control of immigration. Aid needs to be provided to border cities and cities far from the border dealing with the influx of migrants. We must act to prevent people without a legitimate claim from entering the United States, and especially to ensure that others can enter the United States.