The ongoing border crisis in the United States has become a focal point of contention between the Biden administration and Congress. While the White House consistently points to Congress’ failure to pass President Biden’s “day one” immigration plan as the primary cause, there’s a notable absence of acknowledgment regarding the administration’s own actions.
On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed executive orders terminating the border wall construction and revoking deportation orders from the Trump era. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) imposed a 100-day moratorium on deportations.
Notably, these policy shifts coincide with a significant surge in illegal immigration, reaching record levels under Biden. Federal data reveals over 2.2 million encounters at the southern border in fiscal year 2022 and exceeding 2 million in fiscal year 2023. December alone saw more than 300,000 illegal migrant encounters, marking the highest month on record. The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, has consistently laid blame on Congress, emphasizing the need for lawmakers to adopt Biden’s day one immigration plan.
Jean-Pierre’s response to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who deemed immigration reform complicated and slow, reiterated the urgency of addressing border security. Despite the pressing nature of the issue, the administration has failed to mention its reversal of several Trump-era policies. President Biden rescinded orders withholding federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions and terminating the emergency declaration used to fund the border wall construction.
Chad Wolf, former acting DHS Secretary under Trump, highlighted the administration’s signaling of an open border through its rhetoric and policy changes. He emphasized Biden’s campaign stance of being more lenient towards entry and the directive that crossing the border illegally is no longer sufficient grounds for removal.
“President Biden campaigned about letting folks in,” Wolf said, adding, “Combine that with telling ICE removal officers and ICE attorneys that just simply crossing the border illegally is no longer grounds for removal,” Wolf told the DCNF.
“Doing all the different things that did all contributed and all sends a signal that the border is open and you’re free to come over,” Wolf said.
And let’s not forget, the President actually put forth a comprehensive immigration proposal almost three years ago. Very — almost three years ago. We had three years — three years to work on something. If that was what the Speaker Johnson is concerned about, we had three years to work on it, she added.
