AMAC Exclusive – By Andrew Abbott
Following a series of half-hearted policy changes and a public relations campaign designed to give the appearance of caring about illegal immigration without actually doing anything of substance, President Joe Biden is taking a victory lap, insisting the crisis is all but over. Meanwhile, Republican governors are desperately trying to stem the flood of illegal migrants as law enforcement warns the worst may be yet to come.
While on a bike ride during one of his many vacations last month, Biden smugly asserted to a group of reporters that the border situation is “much better than you all expected” following the end of Title 42. He further said he has no intention of visiting the border, dismissing concerns about the more than 211,000 border encounters in April of 2023 alone.
Biden’s remarks encapsulated the predominant strategy from the Biden administration on the border in recent months, which has been to insist everything is going great and rely on their allies in the mainstream media to parrot that line.
In February, Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden tapped as his “border czar” in 2021, declared there were “positive trends” on addressing the “root causes” of illegal immigration, despite the fact that the number of illegal border crossings is only continuing to increase.
To sell this narrative, the Biden administration appears to be banking on the fact that a feared surge in illegal immigration above the already historically high levels following the end of Title 42 hasn’t happened – at least not yet.
But as NBC reported earlier this month, the human smuggling rings that drive a large percentage of illegal immigration have seemingly adopted a “wait and see” approach to crossings. Following the end of Title 42 and changes to Biden’s immigration policy, smugglers are waiting to see how the administration responds to new illegal crossings before committing to sending a flood of migrants across. That could mean things are about to get even worse for border security forces already stretched dangerously thin.
The Biden team is also attempting to conflate the border not getting drastically worse with the border getting better. On the same day Title 42 ended, the border patrol union ripped Biden for creating the worst crisis “ever seen at our border.” The fact that an already dire situation has merely stayed the same – and could at any moment become much worse – is hardly the victory Biden is trying to sell it as.
Yet that hasn’t stopped the White House from touting new Biden immigration policies that in reality are only designed to give the appearance of cracking down on illegal crossings.
For instance, last month Biden announced he would be sending 1,500 troops to the border to address the crisis (something which, it’s worth noting, Democrats declared a “monstrous” act when Trump did it). But rather than actually helping to stop illegal immigration, those troops have been confined to “support roles” and carrying out “backroom tasks” like processing and logistics.
Meanwhile, the area where those troops are desperately needed – on the front line turning back illegal immigrants – continues to be a disaster.
Biden’s other actions to ostensibly increase border security also only further incentivized illegal crossings. While pointing to a new public messaging campaign launched in May in Latin America to discourage illegal immigration, the Biden administration also quietly gave the green light to overcrowded migrant holding centers to begin releasing thousands of migrants into the interior of the U.S.
Another one of Biden’s supposedly “tough” border policies was to dramatically expand the number of refugee admissions from Central and South America. This change will clearly have the effect of reducing the total number of crossings classified as “illegal” while actually increasing the number of people crossing the border without permission. The increased prospect of earning asylum will also undoubtedly incentivize more migrants to make the dangerous journey north.
As the Biden administration pats themselves on the back while actively making the border worse, some Republican governors are stepping in. Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced plans to install a floating barrier along the Rio Grande river to deter illegal crossings. Eight Republican-led states have also sent National Guard troops to the border, creating a stark contrast with the reckless policies of the Biden administration.
Despite his best efforts to put a positive spin on the situation, the border continues to be an area of severe vulnerability for Biden, with just 26 percent of Americans approving of his handling of the issue. Even with the mainstream media and congressional Democrats amplifying his baseless claims, it seems there is just no substitute for real progress.
Andrew Abbott is the pen name of a writer and public affairs consultant with over a decade of experience in DC at the intersection of politics and culture.
