Biden’s immigration reform efforts have resulted in a staggering increase of migrants released into U.S. cities, more than doubling during his term and sparking fierce political backlash.
At a Glance
- Biden tried to overhaul immigration, but faced many challenges and much resistance
- Rate of migrants released into America has more than doubled during Biden administration.
- Immigrants is a pivotal issue in this week’s election between Trump and Harris.
Biden’s Immigration Reform: A Comedy of Errors
President Joe Biden had a grand plan to “fix” the U.S. immigration system, but four years later, it has fallen significantly short of his aspirations. Right from the beginning, Biden proposed new legislation that would give millions of illegal immigrants a path to gain citizenship. Yet, his administration seemingly did nothing to stamp out illegal immigration to begin with.
The Biden administration has consistently touted an achievement that they claim they’ve reduced illegal crossings at the border to the lowest levels they’ve been in more than four years. That’s not very accurate, though. In addition, more than twice as many illegal immigrants have been released into American cities during the Biden administration, as policies have allowed them to be released from custody. This has significantly overwhelmed states and cities.
The Great Relocation Program
Instead of doing something about illegal immigration from a federal standpoint, the Biden administration has seemingly passed the buck onto individual U.S. states and cities. This has overwhelmed many southern states, which are run by Republicans. And those Republican-led states have taken action — sending bus-loads of illegal immigrants to liberal-led cities such as Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York and more. Neither of these solutions are really long-term solutions, though.
“For too long, our nation’s leaders have treated immigration as a political football instead of tackling long-term solutions,” said Heidi Altman, the National Immigration Law Center’s director of federal advocacy.
Immigration policy has turned into a full-blown circus, with no one in the White House seemingly understanding even a little bit about it.
The Big Divide Between Harris and Trump
One thing about the 2024 election is certain at this point — Biden will not win, after stepping aside from the election a few months ago. That doesn’t mean his policies, or similar ones, won’t be carried out should Democrats win, though. Vice President Kamala Harris is atop the party’s ticket now, and she is taking what she calls a “balanced approach” to immigration. What that means, no one really knows.
Republican Donald Trump is much clearer about what he intends to do in regard to illegal immigration.
“She has violated her oath, eradicated our sovereign border and unleashed an army of migrant gangs who are waging a campaign of violence and terror against our citizens,” Trump said of Harris.
There’s chaos unfolding all over the country because of illegal immigration, and Trump seems to be the candidate who is best prepared to do something about it.
Where is Immigration Policy Going?
So, what is the future of immigration policy in the U.S.? No one really knows at this point, though a lot more will come to light in the near future — if Trump wins the election. Completely overhauling immigration seems to be only a pipe dream at this point.
The future of U.S. immigration policy remains as clear as mud. Biden’s incremental changes, like stopping veteran deportations and protecting migrants in disaster zones, are like putting a band-aid on a gushing wound. Meanwhile, the promised complete immigration overhaul remains a pipe dream.
“The total fixation on the ‘border’ and not a holistic focus on a functioning immigration process has created false beliefs,” Jason Houser, a senior ICE official during the Biden administration.
Biden said he had immigration reforms, but they have been nothing short of a colossal failure. So, if you want something different when it comes to immigration in the U.S. — something that actually works — Trump is the clear choice at the polls.