USA TODAY International Edition
Biden is making sound moves on immigration
They reflect our values and will prove effective
When he was sworn in on Jan. 20, President Joe Biden inherited a set of border security and immigration policies that can only be viewed as draconian and ineffective. Now, 100 days in, we are seeing glimmers of a framework that is both sane and humane.
For the better part of 30 years, I have worked in and around border and immigration policy. As a former U. S. attorney, Arizona attorney general and Arizona governor, I was in office at a time when illegal crossings and immigration flows were at all- time highs because the federal government had failed to properly manage the border.
Later, as U. S. secretary of Homeland Security, I oversaw fundamental policy transformations that led to a more secure, stable border environment and sensible interior enforcement priorities, including the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Finally, as president of the University of California, I presided over a system that was home to thousands of DACA recipients and immigrant students. So I know something about these issues.
Here are the facts. President Donald Trump’s border wall was a breach of public integrity and fiscal stewardship — it was bad policy and it didn’t work. As governor of Arizona, I once said, “You show me a 50- foot wall, I’ll show you a 51- foot ladder.” That was correct in 2005 when I said it, and it is correct today.
Rebuilding from scratch
The construction of physical barriers, or fencing, is critical along parts of the border, but a wall from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas, was unnecessary, wasteful and a distraction. Biden has begun redeploying those resources into security features that actually work — namely technology, manpower and infrastructure where required.
Next, Biden began processing asylum claims of unaccompanied minors at our borders. This has been easier said than done as the Trump administration wasn’t processing anyone. The entire machinery for sheltering minors and getting them resettled with vetted family members or other adults had to be recreated as if from scratch. The Biden team took some heat for this ( Republicans were quick to call it a crisis) but now there’s a plan and, over time, the asylum process in federal law will be restored and streamlined.
Recognizing that immigration flows are best dealt with in their country of origin rather than when they reach our borders, Biden gave Vice President Kamala Harris the same task President Barack Obama had given him: Work with foreign governments, non-profits and other institutions to reduce the incentive for Central Americans to immigrate unlawfully to the USA. This is intensive, long- term work, not designed to garner headlines, but the commitment is there.
The president has also directed the Department of Homeland Security to redirect its interior enforcement priorities toward convicted criminals and away from people like DACA recipients who are at no risk of criminality. The net effect of this shift is that law enforcement can spend more time, resources and energy pursuing individuals who are potential threats to society.
Congressional fixes overdue
As well as Biden’s first 100 days have gone, he cannot fix a broken and battered immigration system alone. He needs help from Congress. The good news is he intends to ask for it. The bad news is Congress hasn’t been able to act on immigration since the Reagan administration. To put it in perspective, that was before the internet was available, before text messages existed and before the compact disc peaked, died and was replaced by streaming.
Who drives around on a flat tire for 35 years? Apparently, America does when it comes to immigration, and this simply must change.
I have been advocating for immigration reform since the mid- 1990s. The socalled crisis at the border — that Biden inherited from the prior administration — would never have existed had the country reformed its immigration laws long before Trump took office. We need an upgrade that combines strong border security with an effective asylum system. Our visa processes should allow more lawful immigrants to enter our country as past generations have. We need a temporary worker program that recognizes our country’s labor needs and also that many immigrants from Central America wish to return home after they have earned some income in the USA. It is imperative that Congress work with Biden on these reforms.
While we wait, we can evaluate President Biden’s actions. Although his immigration efforts poll lower than his other initiatives, the steps he has taken are consistent with best practice and sound border management — and are in the spirit of America’s laws and values.
It will simply take more than 100 days to show affirmative results on an issue that, for far too long, has vexed our politics and mired us in partisan posturing as opposed to practical, effective policy.
Janet Napolitano, a professor of public policy and director of the new Center for Security in Politics at the UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, was secretary of Homeland Security in the Obama administration. She has also served as Arizona attorney general, Arizona governor and, most recently, president of the University of California.