The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Border negotiations mark seismic shift in U.S. immigration politics
Biden considering restrictions to get aid for Ukraine, Israel.
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden sent a bill to Congress to “restore humanity and American values to our immigration system.” Nearly three years later, he is considering sweeping restrictions on migration in exchange for aid to Ukraine and Israel.
It is the latest sign of how drastically the politics of immigration have shifted in the United States, where polls suggest there is growing support, even inside the presi- dent’s own party, for border measures once denounced by Democrats and champi- oned by former President Donald Trump.
But it is also a gamble for Biden, who risks walking away from some of the most deeply held principles of the Democratic Party and anger- ing key parts of his core con- stituency, such as progres- sives and young voters.
“There’s no doubt there’s been a shift on this partly because of the influx of these migrants in these big cit- ies,” said David Axelrod, a top adviser to former Presi- dent Barack Obama. “There are limits to where he can and should go, but this is almost a gift to have, under the cover of this broad pack- age, to be able to do things that were perhaps tougher to do before.”
The southern border is a political vulnerability for Biden, who has been unable to contain a record number of migrants heading north to escape gang violence, pov- erty and natural disasters. Republican-led states have shipped busloads of migrants to liberal bastions like Wash- ington and New York to pro- test what they characterize as Biden’s failed policies.
As border crossings surge, the political center of grav- ity on the issue has moved sharply to the right. Polls by The New York Times and Siena College in battleground states found that voters pre- ferred Trump over Biden on immigration by 12 points.
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a swing-state Democrat with left-leaning politics, said his position on restricting migration puts him out of step with the lib- eral wing of his party.
“I’m not a progressive,” Fetterman told NBC News.
And some of the coun- try’s most prominent Dem- ocratic governors and may- ors, whose communities are being stressed by the cost of providing for migrants, have put pressure on Biden to find new ways to address the crisis.
The fact that Republicans have refused to support fur- ther aid for Ukraine without a new crackdown on immi- gration may give Biden that opportunity, said pollsters, political experts and some Democrats.
Biden has said he is will- ing to make “significant com- promises” on border secu- rity to satisfy Republicans, who say they will not sup- port any more aid for Ukraine without a new crackdown on immigration.
Some of the proposals on the table include making it more difficult to gain asylum in the United States, which the White House has signaled it is willing to consider. The idea would be to raise the standard migrants must meet when they claim they need asylum in the United States because they fear persecu- tion in their home countries.
But Republicans also want
to restrict the use of an immi- party fear that policies will gration policy known as turn away asylum-seekers humanitarian parole, which for years to come. has allowed thousands of Rep. Gabe Vasquez, Afghans, Ukrainians and others fleeing war and violence to come to the United States. Democrats have not agreed to that proposal.
Republicans and Democrats are also discussing a policy that would rapidly turn people away at the border once arrests at the border reach a certain level.
“It was pretty clear that they were considering things that were going to be controversial,” Sen. Rich- ard Durbin, D-ill., said this week of the White House’s approach to the negotiations. “Changes have to be made in our policy at the border.”
Negotiations were con- tinuing over the weekend, although there was little sign of a potential break- through before the end of the year. And while the White House and Democrats have not signed off on the restric- tions, the fact that they are even considering them has angered progressives and immigration advocates.
“I just think it’s unfortu- nate that we constantly do this, where we buy into and try to out-republican Repub- licans,” said Pramila Jay- apal, the leader of the Con- gressional Progressive Cau- cus. “It’s never worked. The enforcement-only strategy does not work.”
Jayapal is one of many pro- gressives who appear to have reached a boiling point with the White House. They say the recent polling fails to ask voters about the long-term effects of the policies being considered, which they say would include deporting ref- ugees seeking sanctuary in the United States and break- ing apart families.
“Throwing immigrants under the bus — which I’ve seen happen over and over again — is not a good elec- tion strategy,” Jayapal said.
Biden’s aides say he is try- ing to find a compromise to secure financial aid that Ukraine needs to win the war against Russia. They say Biden’s approach is not com- parable to that of Trump, who separated thousands of families at the border.
Asked about potentially embracing Trump-era pol- icies in exchange for the aid, Karine Jean-pierre, the White House press secretary, said this week that the White House’s strategy is consis- tent with Biden’s approach in past negotiations on Cap- itol Hill.
“We understand, in order to come up with a compro- mise and get things done on behalf of the American people, you have to find a bipartisan way to do that,” Jean-pierre said.
But some members of the
D-N.M., said Democrat s “need to be looking at mor e than the political moment of today and what the polls say.”