by President Biden’s assertion that he is ready to sign a border agreement, one that would make it much more difficult for migrants to enter the United States, is a necessary and long-awaited step to restore public confidence in the government’s ability. federal to maintain control over immigration.
The crush of asylum seekers crossing the southern border has overwhelmed the government’s ability to fairly address their claims. The needs of immigrants have strained the resources of cities and towns across the country; In the absence of federal aid, these communities find it difficult to maintain humane conditions for all who cross. This situation is unsustainable.
Democrats have been too slow to respond to increasingly urgent calls from mayors, governors and voters to act. Republicans deserve credit for pushing for action, and they should celebrate that Biden has agreed to many of the strict border security measures they have long pushed for. But Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, is insisting that Republicans reject the legislation taking shape in the Senate. Several Senate Republicans have said Mr. Trump is blocking keep immigration alive as a campaign issue. Senator Todd Young of Indiana called this move to derail negotiations “tragic.” However, he and other Senate Republicans continue to work with their Democratic colleagues to reach a compromise.
House Republicans, however, don’t seem interested in writing laws; instead, they have submitted to Trump’s demands. House Speaker Mike Johnson says any bill the Senate sends to the House will be “dead on arrival.” Instead of negotiating with Democrats, they are pressing ahead with a ridiculous effort to remove Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security.
Republican leaders outside Congress are engaged in other forms of sabotage. The Oklahoma Republican Party voted in favor censorship to Republican Senator James Lankford for his role leading the negotiations in the Senate. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has long used human lives as political leverage, has ordered the Texas National Guard to impede federal immigration agents’ work along the southern border. These actions have sparked a constitutional standoff between the state and federal governments and created dangerous conditions, including periodic reports of people being drowned or injured by barbed wire that the state installed over the objections of federal authorities.
These political maneuvers are counterproductive and a distraction from the magnitude of this problem: the number of migrants entering the United States from the southern border has never been higher. As The Times’ Miriam Jordan reported, 2.5 million people crossed in fiscal year 2023, “more than live in most U.S. cities.”
It is a migration driven by problems in the places they left behind, by opportunities in the United States and by the ease of entering this country and staying here. It is common knowledge that people can legally enter the United States by presenting themselves as asylum seekers. Without the resources to adjudicate such claims quickly, the government allows hundreds of thousands of people to live and work in the United States while they wait for a hearing.
The deal being worked out in the Senate would reportedly raise the level of asylum applications and provide funding to speed up decisions. It would expand other forms of legal immigration, which could help relieve some pressure on the asylum process. It also includes a provision, which Biden has adopted, that would set limits on the number of immigrants who can apply for asylum on a given day, a provision that could prevent many people from seeking asylum, no matter how strong their cases are.
The details of any border agreement will require careful scrutiny to avoid moving from a policy of arbitrary permissiveness to a policy of arbitrary cruelty.
It’s unfortunate that Biden waited so long to speak forcefully on this issue, but he is right to urge Congress to reach a deal. Whatever the fate of this legislation, Americans should not lose sight of what Congress could do if it chooses: Congress can and should invest the necessary resources and grant the necessary powers to regain control of immigration. It needs to provide aid to border cities and cities far from the border that are facing the influx of migrants. It must act so that people without legitimate rights cannot enter the United States, especially so that others can do so.
