Biden and GOP discuss border solutions: money or enforcement?

The Immigration Stalemate: Biden Administration and House Republicans Point Fingers

Money a Key Sticking Point as Title 42 Ends

The end of Title 42 on Thursday night has brought the issue of immigration to the forefront, with both the Biden administration and House Republicans blaming each other for the situation. While Republicans accuse the White House of being responsible, administration officials claim their hands are tied.

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President Joe Biden has asked Congress for more Border Patrol funding, but he claims they have made it harder for him to secure the border. He believes that more asylum judges and personnel are needed, and he is doing everything he can to make that happen. However, members of the GOP and immigration hawks argue that this is a red herring at best.

• NumbersUSA CEO James Massa believes that all the administration needs to do is enforce the current laws of Title 8 as they were intended.
• House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) says that border agents don’t need additional money to secure the border but rather a wholesale shift in federal immigration policy.

The White House has sharpened its messaging, seeking to tie immigration policy to the debt ceiling debate. The administration claims that the Republican Limit, Save, Grow Act that would raise the debt ceiling is itself a threat to border security, calling it the “biggest vote to defund law enforcement in American history.”

The Impasse Continues

Both sides seem dug in at the moment, with comprehensive immigration reform not taking place since the 1990s. The lack of guidance and updates to the law is what led Title 42 to become so important in the first place, argues Syracuse University political science professor Elizabeth Cohen.

• She believes that more judges are indeed needed as wait times have increased and said immigrants have a very high rate of attending their hearings.
• Even with Title 42 in place, the number of border crossings surged once Biden took office. He ended the policy known as Remain in Mexico on day one, and border crossings set new records in both 2021 and 2022. More than 6.3 million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since Biden entered the White House.

While Republicans often say the Biden administration actively wants more migrants because Democratic voters don’t care about border security, White House officials spent much of the last week talking tough and telling would-be immigrants to stay away.

Congress Must Effect Change

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called on Congress to effect change, stating that the current situation is the outcome of Congress leaving a broken, outdated immigration system in place for over two decades despite unanimous agreement that legislative reform is desperately needed.

As the impasse continues, it remains to be seen what steps will be taken to address the issue of immigration and secure the border.