In a display of inaccurate assertions, ex-president Donald Trump alleged that the Biden administration adheres to an open-border policy. These inaccurate comments were voiced during a Q&A session at the NABJ Convention in Chicago. Erroneously, the former President projected a picture of the Biden-Harris administration endorsing unlimited immigration, an assumption far from the truth.
This false picture of the Biden-Harris team was expanded on when Trump told Fox News host Harris Faulkner, ‘We want people to come in but they have to come in legally.’ Contrary to his statement, since Biden and Harris assumed office, the approach towards immigration has remained similar to his own administration, creating skepticism about the reasoning behind these accusations.
The spiraling criticism by Republican lawmakers over the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico southern border is seemingly unfounded. It is a strangely misguided understanding to label the Biden administration’s policy as an open-border policy, a concept that is not applicable realistically.
Adding to these false claims, Trump declared he would assuredly ‘close the border’ on the first day of his re-election, insinuating that the current administration has chosen not to do so. However, experts in immigration studies challenge this, citing it as a myth, further demonstrating the extent of misinformation being disseminated.
David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, responded to these flimsy accusations, stating, ‘U.S. immigration policy is effectively closed borders, and Biden’s immigration policies and goals are largely the same as those of President Donald Trump.’ Interestingly, it seems the accusations against the Biden-Harris administration are more a product of partisan bickering than fact.
A similar sentiment was echoed by Rebecca Hamlin, Ph.D., director of the Legal Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, ‘I’ve been studying immigration politics for now 20 years, and I haven’t seen such a mismatch between the accusations of one party and the policies of the other.’ A clear indication that this supposed ‘open-border policy’ is nothing more than a far-fetched narrative.
Further evidence of the closeness of Biden’s immigration policy lies in the continual restrictions imposed on asylum applications, restrictions that go far beyond what the law requires. A clear contradiction to the allegation of welcoming illegal immigrants with open arms. In addition to this, the admitted number of refugees also fell under the Biden administration, providing yet another blow to the open-border theorization.
In another shared rollout, Presidents Trump and Biden both invoked Title 42, a pandemic-era rule that Border Patrol used to ‘immediately expel any individual encountered attempting to enter the United States in violation of travel restrictions.’ This affirms the continuity of strict immigration measures under both administrations.
As Title 42 lifted, the government transitioned back to immigration procedures outlined under Title 8, subjecting illegal border crossers to possible prosecution, deportation, and a five-year re-entry bar. Such strict stipulations, even after the lifting of pandemic-related rules, clearly defy the charge of an open-border policy thrust upon the Biden administration.
Even though border crossings registered a record high in late 2023, Biden unveiled plans in June to halt asylum processing at the US-Mexico border when illegal entries reach an established high threshold. A quick, decisive action that speaks volumes about his commitments to maintaining a controlled border.
Under this new measure, even asylum seekers could face deportation if their illegal entry exceeded the established threshold. This potentially subjects them to criminal prosecution and prohibits them from legally entering the U.S for several years, a far cry from policies that could be described as open-border.
Consequently, arrests of migrants for illegal border crossing dipped by about 30% to a new low under Biden’s presidency. This indicates the possibility of the temporary ban on asylum being lifted in the near future. It further underscores the dynamic nature of the Biden administration’s border control strategy that is reactive to the changing immigration scenario.
VERIFY found that entirely shutting down the border, an idea heavily suggested by critics of the Biden administration, would in fact, violate federal laws. Nonetheless, a president can issue orders restricting certain groups from entering the U.S., as practiced under previous administrations.
Julia Gelatt of the Migration Policy Institute has shed light on the realistic nature of border control policies. Total closure is impractical; however, effective management is possible, a philosophy that has been embraced by the Biden administration.
In conclusion, the unfounded allegations of an ‘open border policy’ under the Biden administration are just that – unfounded. When objectively evaluated, it becomes evident that not only are these claims untrue, but they also reflect a significant gap in understanding of the contemporary immigration landscape and historical precedents.
Biden-Harris Administration Obscures the Truth About Border Policies appeared first on Real News Now.
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