Biden is reportedly weighing executive action on immigration that could prevent those crossing the US border unlawfully from claiming asylum. If enacted, the action would be similar to former President Donald Trump’s attempt to target asylum seekers in 2018, which was blocked by federal courts and denounced by Democrats at the time.
This action would put a stop to the right of migrants to request asylum once on US soil. Such aggressive action against migrants represents a heavy deviation from Biden’s promises on the campaign trail, in which he characterized his immigration policy as more humane than Trump’s.
This latest possible capitulation to conservative immigration policy comes as Congressional Republicans and Democrats are battling each other on the issue of passing a massive funding package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. A USD 95 billion bill that would provide military aid to the three states, was passed in the Senate, but has been stalled in the House, which has not approved new funding to Ukraine since Republicans took control of the legislative body in January 2023. Far-right Republicans are deeply opposed to additional Ukraine aid, wanting to instead divert the money to further militarization of the US-Mexico border.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a far-right Republican, has been a key obstacle in passing any new Ukraine aid. His latest statement, released on February 22, reveals that Biden’s possible executive action changes nothing. Calling the proposal an “election year gimmick,” Johnson writes, “House Republicans have been sounding the alarm about the catastrophic effects of President Biden’s open border policies since he began his term… He has thus far ignored my demands, and the pleas from big city mayors, border state governors, and the American people. Now, in an election year… the President suddenly seems interested in trying to make a change using the legal authority that he claimed until recently didn’t exist.”
Based on Johnson’s statement, and the continued criticisms by Republicans on Biden’s immigration policy, it seems clear that this rightward shift on immigration will do him no favors in terms of securing additional Ukraine aid in Congress.