But immigration is a much tougher challenge for Democrats now that Biden is in the White House. This time, Republicans can criticize a president whose adoption of comprehensive immigration reform legislation appears to be, at least in part, the cause of the increase in migration, as asylum seekers seek refuge in a more friendly American government.
“We saw that Biden’s policies created a border crisis,” said minority leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), On Thursday, alongside dozens of Republicans in the House. “On the first day of his administration, there was no plan to open American companies or schools, President Biden announced that it was his priority to offer ‘citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants’. What did he think would happen? “
In public statements and private meetings, the GOP has embraced immigration as a common theme this week. McCarthy announced on Thursday that he will lead a Republican Party delegation to the border next week to assess the situation first hand. The conservative Republican Study Committee also released talking points encouraging members to hammer Biden over the “ongoing humanitarian disaster” and link it to the president’s immigration policies, calling him a “special message gift”.
Democrats dismiss the Republican Party’s messages as a distraction, noting that Trump and Republicans in Congress did little to address border emergencies during their years in power. The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy of separating families on the border has created a humanitarian calamity that has become one of the biggest black marks of his presidency.
“Well, I think Dr. Seuss’s approach didn’t work for them,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Thursday, referring to the cultural wars that Republicans have recently resurrected. “So now they have to change the subject.”
But Biden’s party is taking the issue seriously behind the scenes, working to resolve a deeply complicated issue that poses political risks – since his own party has attacked Trump on immigration for years – and personal, for the thousands of teenagers and migrant children who were housed in shelters administered by the United States.
The number of migrant children detained at the border has tripled in recent weeks, with children detained for more than three days on average and detained in adult facilities. Critics blame Biden’s immigration policies for overloading the system and say the president should have more strongly discouraged people in Central American countries from traveling north.
Some Democrats are sounding their own alarms about how Biden is dealing with the influx, although his criticisms of the government are much more subdued than those of the Republican Party. This includes Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who represents a district that covers a large chunk of the US-Mexico border and asked the Biden government to help resolve the problem.
“The message has to change,” said Cuellar of the Biden team’s response so far, noting that the authorities simply asked people to delay their travel to the border with the United States, rather than warning about the possible consequences.
“The message is very, very important. They must learn from what happened in 2014, ”added Cuellar. “I think, because of the pandemic, there is going to be a humanitarian crisis very, very soon.”
A fundamental difference from the Trump era, Democrats say, is that Biden has promised a much more humane approach to migrants, especially those under the age of 18. Biden has already repealed several of his predecessor’s policies, including the controversial “Stay in Mexico” Policy that defenders say has destroyed the nation’s asylum system. And Biden reinstated the Central American Minors Program, which allows children to apply for asylum while staying in their countries of origin, instead of making a dangerous journey to the border.
“It is clear to me that the Biden government will approach the border issue with compassion, as opposed to the cruelty that was central to the policy of the previous government,” said House Democratic Congressional President Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.), in an interview statement Thursday.
A group of leading Democrats have been working closely with the Biden government on their response at the border, including committee leaders and the Hispanic Caucus Congress.
This includes a CHC meeting on Thursday morning on the matter with the director of the Refugee Resettlement Office, Cindy Huang, and a senior official in the Department of Health and Human Services, JooYeun Chang. During the meeting, administration officials said they are working to expand the capacity to house children and are in coordination with local youth organizations and childcare programs.
Democrats say they will continue to seek responsibility for the government’s treatment of migrant children, regardless of which president is in charge. At least for now, many are prepared to give Biden time to deal with the problem, as he has only been in office for eight weeks.
On Thursday, when asked whether the migration race should be considered a “crisis”, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said “we don’t see the need to put new labels on it”.
“It doesn’t matter what you call it. It is a huge challenge, ”said Psaki. “The president is very focused and concerned with the operational details here and about pressuring his team to take all measures that can be taken to resolve … the fact that these border patrol facilities are not made for children.”
Meanwhile, some Democrats are making their own plans to visit detention centers where migrants are being held. Cuellar planned a bipartisan trip with Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) to visit one of the same facilities that Biden government officials recently visited. And Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) is planning his own trip in the coming weeks for his fellow Democrats, like Axios first reported.
“Republican politicians are creators of fear and children and families who seek asylum to divert attention from their lack of a government agenda to help the American people,” Castro said in a statement. “This is a profound humanitarian situation that requires a dignified response, not dangerous rhetoric.”
Roberta Jacobson, Biden coordinator for the southern border, recognized on Wednesday that the government has at times endeavored to deliver a promising message to migrants, while urging them not to travel to the United States until the country’s immigration system is better equipped.
Government officials also maintained that his response on the southern border was complicated by Trump’s effective dismantling of cross-border immigration systems, the government’s refusal to refuse migrants and the coronavirus that consumed Biden as its top priority.
The pandemic adds its own wrinkle to the current state of immigration policy. Migrants are tested for Covid before entering the United States and must isolate themselves if they receive a positive diagnosis. But Republicans have clung to reports that some migrants tested positive for coronavirus have been released in Texas.
“There are super-spreading caravans passing by,” said Steve Scalise (R-La.) From the minority home, at a news conference on Thursday. “All of this was done by President Biden, and President Biden can resolve and reverse that policy.”
A White House spokesman countered that, during their visit to the border, Republicans will see “the cruelty, chaos and confusion promoted by the previous government.”
“We hope that as soon as these Republican members return, they will come to the table ready to work with the White House and Democrats in Congress to bring our immigration system into the 21st century,” said the spokesman.
Quint Forgey contributed to this report.