But immigration is a very thorny challenge for the Democrats, now that Biden is in the White House. This time, Republicans may be targeting a president whose comprehensive immigration reform legislation appears to be at least in part the cause of the migration, as asylum seekers seek refuge with a friendlier U.S. government.
“We have seen that Biden’s policies have led to a border crisis,” House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) said Thursday along with dozens of Republicans from the House. “On the first day of his reign, there was no plan to open American business schools or American schools. President Biden has announced that it is his priority to ‘offer citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants’. What did he think would happen? ”
In public statements and private meetings, the IDP this week honored immigration as a common theme. McCarthy announced on Thursday that he would lead an IDP delegation to the border next week to assess the situation firsthand. The Conservative Republican Study Committee also circulated discussion points that encouraged members to hammer Biden about the ‘ongoing humanitarian disaster’ and tie it to the president’s immigration policy and call it a ‘special message’.
Democrats reject the GOP’s messages as a distraction, noting that Trump and Republicans in Congress have done little to confront emergencies at the border during their years in power. The Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy of separating families at the border has caused a humanitarian disaster that has become one of the biggest black spots of its presidency.
“Well, I think their Dr. Seuss approach did not work for them,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday, referring to the cultural wars that Republicans have recently sparked. “Now they have to change the subject.”
But Biden’s party takes the matter seriously behind the scenes and is working to address a deeply complex issue that poses both political risks – as their own party has hampered Trump over immigration for years – and personally, for the thousands of migrating teens. and children already housed in U.S.-run shelters.
The number of migrant children detained at the border has tripled in recent weeks, and children are believed to be detained and detained for more than three days in facilities intended for adults. Critics blame Biden’s immigration policy for overcoming the system, saying the president should have discouraged people from Central American countries from traveling north.
A few Democrats are raising their own alarm over Biden’s handling of the influx, though their criticism of the government has so far been more muted than the GOPs. These include Representative Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who represents a district that encompasses much of the U.S.-Mexico border and has reached out to the Biden government to address the issue.
“The messages need to change,” Cuellar said of the Biden team’s response so far, noting that officials simply asked people to postpone their trips to the U.S. border, rather than warn of possible consequences.
“The messages are very, very important. They need to learn from what happened in 2014, ”Cuellar added. “I think, because of the pandemic, it’s going to be a humanitarian crisis very, very soon.”
An important difference from the Trump era, Democrats say, is that Biden has taken a much more humane approach to migrants, especially those under the age of 18. Biden has reversed several of his predecessor’s policies, including the controversial “Stay in Mexico” policy, which claims that the country’s asylum system has been destroyed. And Biden has the Central American Minority Program, which allows children to apply for asylum while staying in their home countries, rather than undertaking a dangerous journey to the border.
“It is clear to me that the Biden government will address the issue at the border with compassion, as opposed to the cruelty that was central to the policies of the previous government,” said House Democratic Caucus chairman Hakeem Jeffries ( DN.Y.), said in a brief description. interview Thursday.
A group of top Democrats has been working closely with the Biden government on their response at the border, including committee leaders and the Spanish caucus of Congress.
That includes a CHC meeting Thursday morning on the issue with the director of the Refugee Relocation Office, Cindy Huang, and a senior official at the Department of Health and Human Services, JooYeun Chang. The officials of the administration said during the meeting that they are increasing the capacity of the children and that they are coordinating with local youth organizations and foster programs.
Democrats say they will continue to seek accountability for the government’s treatment of migrant children, regardless of which president is in charge. At least many are now willing to give Biden time to tackle the matter, as he has only been in office for eight weeks.
Asked on Thursday whether the migration rush should be seen as a ‘crisis’, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said ‘we do not see the need to put up new labels.’
‘It does not matter what you call it. It’s a huge challenge, ‘Psaki said. “The president is very focused and is very much in the weeds on the operational details here and is pushing his team to take every step that can be taken to address … the fact that these border patrol facilities are not made for children. “
Meanwhile, some Democrats are making their own plans to visit detention centers where migrants are detained. Cuellar is planning a two-party march with Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) to visit one of the same facilities that Biden’s administrative officials recently visited. And Rep Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) is planning his own trip in the next few weeks for his Democratic colleagues, as Axios first post.
“Republican politicians fear children and families seeking asylum to divert their attention from their lack of government agenda to help the American people,” Castro said in a statement. “This is a deep humanitarian situation that requires a dignified response, not dangerous rhetoric.”
Roberta Jacobson, Biden’s Southern Border Coordinator, Wednesday recognized that the government has sometimes struggled to convey an ultimately promising message to migrants, while also urging them not to travel to the US until the country’s immigration system is better equipped.
Administration officials also maintained that their response to the southern border was hampered by Trump’s effective dismantling of cross-border immigration systems, the government’s refusal to turn migrants away, and the coronavirus that Biden used as its top priority.
The pandemic adds its own ripple to the current state of immigration policy. Migrants are tested for Covid before entering the US and are supposed to isolate if they get a positive diagnosis. But Republicans have accepted reports that some migrants who tested positive for coronavirus have been released in Texas.
“There are super-scattering caravans,” Steve Scalise (R-La.), Home Minority Whip, told the news conference on Thursday. “This has all been done by President Biden, and President Biden can address and reverse this policy.”
A White House spokesman countered that during their visit to the border, Republicans “will see the cruelty, chaos and confusion by the previous government”.
“We hope that as soon as these Republican members return, they will come to the table to work with the White House and Democrats in Congress to bring our immigration system into the 21st century,” the spokesman said.
Quint Forgey contributed to this report.