Biden’s First Blunder Haunts Democrats
– By Howard Sierer –
If Trump was for something, Pres. Biden’s knee-jerk reaction has been to oppose it. Case in point: border security. Biden is directly responsible for today’s chaos at our southern border and has given Republicans another potent issue in this coming fall’s elections.
In a year filled with needless presidential blunders, Biden’s very first one was his “Proclamation on the Termination of Emergency with Respect to the Southern Border of the United States,” issued only hours after his inauguration on January 20th, 2021. His proclamation turned an emergency into a disaster.
In part, the order reads: “My Administration is committed to ensuring that the United States has a comprehensive and humane immigration system that operates consistently with our Nation’s values. In furtherance of that commitment, I have determined that [Trump’s emergency declaration] was unwarranted.”
By terminating the state of emergency, his “comprehensive and humane immigration system” in effect hung out an “illegal immigrants welcome” sign on our southern border. The result: our border patrol agents encountered over two million illegal immigrants in 2021, by far the largest number ever. Compare Biden’s total with the 548,000 encounters in Trump’s final year.
Last spring, the Biden administration assured us that the initial illegal immigrant surge would taper off in the summer. It didn’t; instead, it peaked in the summer and continues to run at a rate of well over two million encounters a year.
Overwhelmed by the numbers apprehended at the border, Biden faced what the left-leaning Economist magazine called “a humanitarian crisis at the southern border.” His solution: make the problem go away…literally.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki explained how. When undocumented individuals can’t be immediately removed from the country, they “are placed into immigration proceedings, and one of those avenues could be placement in an alternative-to-detention program in the interior of the United States.”
Biden’s “alternative” program means that illegals are flown, literally in the middle of the night, to places like New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Once there, they are placed in unguarded, temporary housing where self-styled “immigration advocates” can help them become permanent residents.
Biden’s job approval rating runs about 40% with voters these days. Per a recent CBS News poll, an even lower 36% are satisfied with his handling of illegal immigration. Voters rate illegal immigration as the second of their most urgent concerns, behind inflation but ahead of COVID.
A stunning 83% of Americans believe that immigrants should be allowed into to the U.S. only if they go through the legal immigration process. Public opinion polling over the years has consistently shown overwhelming majorities in favor of more spending and emphasis on border security.
Running counter to these public preferences, Biden’s proposed Build Back Better legislation included a provision that would legalize the status of all illegal aliens in the country, giving added impetus for illegal immigration: “Get there now and you’ll get to stay.”
Every Democrat in the House of Representatives voted for BBB. Every one of them. In competitive congressional districts, Democratic incumbents can expect to be hammered on this issue.
Neither the White House nor congressional Democrats have a plan for an immigration system that would both permit reasonable levels of legal immigration and provide the border security necessary to stem illegal immigration. While they can expect the liberal mainstream media to ignore the issue in the run-up to the election, they will be called out in Republican political ads and during candidate debates.
This wedge issue has long been a hot button in the Southwest. But with multiple planeloads of illegal aliens wandering the streets in places like Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, having been flown there by the Biden Administration, the voting public’s overwhelming support of the legal immigration process will be tested nationwide.
Biden’s first blunder, made after only hours in office, will continue to haunt Democrats and is likely to help relegate Nancy Pelosi to the role of Minority Leader.
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Surprise Surprise Surprise… in Biden’s. State of the FUTURE Union address, fixing the current border catastrophe and immigration system are now on the agenda… And we are going to fight inflation by lowering costs. How about that too! Do not forget Refunding the police … Serious note – this is a major policy pivot to counter the midterms. Republicans could get overconfident and blow it. This allows an opening to counter such a blunder. 50-50. Republicans will flush the momentum down the tubes. I am simply VIVA Gridlock…. until the economy sorts out. On the side of the American people – and sadly the digital dollar is the end game. No other way out of the money pit.