Border crisis threatens to cost Biden election
Record immigrant influx has split Democrats and prompted president to adopt Republican rhetoric
As immigrants to the US themselves, Jerry and Maria Shuster, 75 and 70, understand as well as anyone the allure of the fabled Land of Opportunity.
Mr Shuster arrived in 1969, quitting what was then Yugoslavia to build his own idyll in the 17 acres of sparsely populated desert he purchased in Jacumba, 75 miles east of San Diego, California.
Sitting just half a mile from the border with Mexico, the birthplace of his wife Maria, their home’s vantage point offers a daily reminder of all the choice to make a new life can offer.
But now their property, like much of the rest of the 1,950-mile US southern border, is coming under daily siege from those entering illegally, and the Shusters believe the immigration system is no longer fit for purpose.
Since Joe Biden entered the White House, at least three million bordercrossers have been admitted – more than the population of Chicago. Those arriving in Mr Shuster’s backyard have “come from all over the world”, he says.
The trespassers, he says, have burnt trees and destroyed fencing as they erect shelters and set up camp fires to guard against the bracing cold.
“Our property is completely destroyed,” he says. Starting again somewhere else is not an option, he adds. “I can’t even sell this place and move because it’s not going to sell.”
Mr Shuster blames Mr Biden’s handling of the crisis for turning their American Dream into a nightmare. And so, this November, the Shusters plans to buck the trend of a lifetime and vote Republican in the presidential election.
Polls suggest they are not alone – and it could cost Mr Biden a second term.
One recent study by the University of California, Berkeley found that a strong majority – 65 per cent – of registered voters in the deep blue state believe that the border is not secure.
That includes a majority of voters under the age of 30, and from racial minority backgrounds, key constituencies for the Democrats.
Meanwhile, 72 per cent of California voters said they viewed undocumented immigrants as a “burden” on the US, including 64 per cent of Mr Biden’s own supporters.
Once united in outrage over Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, the record influx – roughly 2.5 million attempted border crossings last year alone – has divided Democrats over how to handle the crisis.
Aware of his political vulnerability, Mr Biden has begun adopting Republican rhetoric, promising to “shut down the border” if Congress grants him the authority under a contentious immigration bill currently under negotiation.
Over the last 18 months, the president has also quietly resumed some of Mr Trump’s actions: repairing parts of the US border wall, and taking a punitive approach to asylum seekers who do not present themselves at a point of entry by rapidly denying most of their claims.
Mr Biden’s two-fold approach has at the same time seen his administration create new pathways for migrants to legally enter the US – but they must apply online and await acceptance, rather than appearing at the border.
The White House has been reluctant to draw attention to either approach – aware that Republicans may turn on the president for the one, while his own side may attack him for the other.
That delicate two-step will be sorely tested if the high-stakes immigration deal being negotiated in Congress comes to a vote. While no draft has yet been released, it has been described as one of the most restrictive border bills in a century: likely to expand expulsion powers, raise the bar for asylum claims and shut down the border altogether when a daily threshold is exceeded.
The reforms have been proposed as a way of soothing Republican hardliners and unlocking tens of billions of dollars for Ukraine – although Mr Trump has attempted to jettison any attempt at a bipartisan accord.
A progressive pushback has already begun. Greg Casar, a congressman for Texas, described the proposals as “bad” policy, on both economic and humanitarian grounds. “I don’t think that we should be accepting a hostagetaking situation and Trump-light policies as Democrats,” he said.
Democrats in battleground districts take a very different view. Mark Kelly, who represents the key border state of Arizona, said: “You have got to make decisions based on what’s the right thing to do. And we need stronger border security”.
The scale of the recent arrivals on the border has left even America’s most liberal states demanding tougher enforcement from Washington. The crisis has been pushed northward by Republican governors bussing migrants to blue cities. Nowhere has this exposed Democratic cracks more than in New York City, where mayor Eric Adams has warned the city risks being “destroyed” by the influx and essentially accused Mr Biden of being asleep at the wheel.
Numerous factors have caused the spike along the border – a postpandemic return to travel, America’s resurgent labour market and international conflict have all played a role. But a major cause was the expiration last May of Title 42, a Trump-era emergency health order which allowed officials to turn away most migrants arriving at the Mexico border because of Covid-19.
Most newcomers are asylum seekers who are typically released while they await a court date for their claim to be heard. The backlog means the average wait is over four years.
Mr Biden has argued he is willing to take tough action – but needs more powers from Congress to act. His party’s Left flank has already signalled their opposition to his rightward shift.
“The president would just do very well to remember it has never worked for Democrats to just take up Republican talking points,” said congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who leads the House’s Progressive Caucus.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has vowed to reinstate, and escalate, his hardline policies if he is returned to power.
They include resuming construction of his flagship border wall, a return of his so-called “Muslim ban”, ideological screenings of those hoping to gain entrance, and the promise to enact the largest deportation operation in US history. Polls suggest he will find a more receptive public, with Republicans leading on border security by around 30 points.
Back in Jacumba, Mr Shuster says those crossing the border illegally merely sit and wait in his backyard for border patrol officers. Typically, those arriving in Mr Shuster’s backyard are apprehended and taken to local detention centres for processing. Next they are transported to San Diego’s transit centre, and from there, bussed across the country.
The costs can be crippling. San Diego city has already allocated $6 million on migrant services, and are fast burning through the cash. Charities are attempting to supplement shortfalls by providing food, clothing and legal support.
Greg Anglea, at Interfaith Services, said the local charity “stepped in” last May, when refugees were released in their community. The organisation helped 2,000 people in the first 30 days. But the effort was soon taking up so much of their time and resources, they had to bring it to an end to focus on their core mission.
Mr Angela is unequivocal about the impact it will have in November’s general election. “Across party lines we are frustrated that the system is broken,” he said. “There needs to be a better way to do this.”
Republican lawmakers in California believe even in the Golden State, patience with inaction has run out. State senator Brian Jones, who represents a district encompassing a majority of San Diego county, said he receives regular reports from constituents of trespass or damage to their properties. Once a blue district, Mr Jones flipped the seat red in 2022 with the help of swing voters. He believes immigration policy has encouraged Democrats to hop party lines, a trend he sees continuing.
He has argued that a more strongly enforced border is in everyone’s interests. “We say we want to treat migrants with compassion,” he said. “How is it compassion when they’re living in tents and not receiving medical care?”
From Jacumba, Mr Shuster is simply tired of the finger-pointing. “Democrats [or] Republicans, someone’s got to secure our border,” he says. “I think this needs to stop".
‘Across party lines we are frustrated that the system is broken. There needs to be a better way to do this’