Biden’s border negotiations mark a seismic shift in immigration politics
On his first day in office, President Biden sent a bill to Congress to “restore humanity and American values to our immigration system.” Nearly three years later, he is considering sweeping migration restrictions in exchange for aid to Ukraine and Israel.
It’s the latest sign of how dramatically immigration policies have changed in the United States, where polls suggest there is growing support, even within the president’s own party, for border measures once denounced by Democrats and by former President Donald Trump were defended.
But it is also a gamble for Mr. Biden, who risks walking away from some of the Democratic Party’s most deeply held principles and angering key parts of his core constituency, such as progressives and young voters.
“There’s no question that there has been a shift, in part because of the influx of these migrants into these major cities,” said David Axelrod, a top adviser to former President Barack Obama. “There are limits to where he can and should go, but this is almost a gift to be able to do, under the cover of this broad package, things that may have been more difficult before.”
The southern border is a political vulnerability for Biden, who has failed to contain record numbers of migrants heading north to escape gang violence, poverty and natural disasters. Republican-led states have shipped busloads of migrants to liberal bastions like Washington and New York to protest what they characterize as Mr. Biden’s failed policies.
As the number of border crossings increases, the political focus of the issue has shifted sharply to the right. Polls from The New York Times and Siena College in battleground states showed voters favoring Trump over Biden on immigration by a margin of 12 points.
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a swing-state Democrat with left-wing politics, said his position on restricting migration puts him out of step with the liberal wing of his party.
“I’m not a progressive,” he said. Fetterman told NBC News.
And some of the country’s most prominent Democratic governors and mayors, whose communities are strained by the costs of caring for migrants, have pressed Biden to find new ways to tackle the crisis.
The fact that Republicans have refused to support further aid to Ukraine without a new immigration crackdown could give Biden that opportunity, pollsters, political experts and some Democrats said.
Mr. Biden has said he is willing to make “significant compromises” on border security to appease Republicans, who say they will not support more aid to Ukraine without a new immigration crackdown.
Some of the proposals on the table include making it more difficult to obtain asylum in the United States, which the White House has indicated it is willing to consider. The idea would be to raise the standard that migrants must meet when they claim they need asylum in the United States because they fear persecution in their home country.
But Republicans also want to limit the use of an immigration policy known as humanitarian parole, which has allowed thousands of Afghans, Ukrainians and others fleeing war and violence to come to the United States. Democrats have not yet agreed to that proposal.
Republicans and Democrats are also discussing a policy that would quickly turn people away at the border once border apprehensions reach a certain level.
“It was pretty clear that they were considering things that would be controversial,” Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said this week of the White House’s approach to the negotiations. “Changes need to be made to our policies at the border.”
Negotiations were expected to continue this weekend, although there were few signs of a possible breakthrough before the end of the year. And while the White House and Democrats have not signed off on the restrictions, the fact that they are even considering them has angered progressives and immigration advocates.
“I just think it’s unfortunate that we do this all the time, buying into Republicans and trying to outdo them,” said Pramila Jayapal, the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “It never worked. The enforcement-only strategy is not working.”
Ms. Jayapal is one of many progressives who appear to have reached a boiling point with the White House. They say recent polls are not asking voters about the long-term effects of the policies being considered, which include deporting refugees seeking refuge in the United States and breaking up families.
“Throwing immigrants under the bus — which I have seen happen time and time again — is not a good election strategy,” Ms. Jayapal said.
“You’re not bringing in Republicans,” she added. “You just lose your base. And we need to pay attention to our base.”
Mr. Biden’s aides say he is trying to find a compromise to secure the financial aid Ukraine needs to win the war against Russia. They say Mr. Biden’s approach is not similar to that of Mr. Trump, who separated thousands of families at the border.
Asked about the potential for embracing Trump-era policies in return for the aid, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said this week that the White House strategy is consistent with Mr. Biden’s approach in previous negotiations on Capitol Hill.
“We understand that in order to reach a compromise and get things done on behalf of the American people, you have to find a bipartisan way to do that,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.
But some members of the party fear the policy will turn away asylum seekers in coming years.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, Democrat of New Mexico, said Democrats “need to look at more than today’s political moment and what the polls say.”
Karoun Demirjian And Hamed Aleaziz reporting contributed.