President Joe Biden triumphantly reversed several of the Trump administration’s effective border policies within hours of taking office. Between Biden dismantling Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy, his ending virtually all immigration enforcement, and his telling the world that he had amnesty on his mind for months, anyone could have predicted the result: an unprecedented crisis at the border where would-be migrants approach wearing t-shirts emblazoned with Biden’s campaign logo. The images are a GOP campaign ad waiting to air.
Democrats rarely do anything that isn’t poll-tested, and Biden is no exception. I am old enough to remember that he never said anything about the BLM and antifa riots in major cities nationwide until CNN’s Don Lemon said the issue was showing up in the polls. Now, a Rasmussen poll shows that 73% of likely voters are concerned about the crisis at the border, with almost half saying they are very concerned.
So, what does Mr. Morally Superior to Orange Man Bad do? According to The New York Times, he ripped a page right out of President Trump’s book:
Anticipating a surge of migrants and the most apprehensions by American agents at the border in two decades, Mr. Biden asked President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico in a video call this month whether more could be done to help solve the problem, according to Mexican officials and another person briefed on the conversation.
The two presidents also discussed the possibility of the United States sending Mexico some of its surplus vaccine supply, a senior Mexican official said. Mexico has publicly asked the Biden administration to send it doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
While Trump told Mexico to secure its southern border and threatened the country with tariffs if it refused, Biden is trying to buy them off quietly. His Press Secretary Jen Psaki is adamant that these are two separate conversations and are just “overlapping.” If you believe that, I have some riverfront property along the Rio Grande to sell you.
Mexican officials rushed to echo Psaki’s comments on the record. Color me skeptical:
But Mexican officials acknowledge that relations between the United States and Mexico, which has suffered one of the world’s deadliest coronavirus epidemics, would be buoyed by a shipment of doses south.
“We look for a more humane migratory system and enhanced cooperation against COVID-19, for the benefit of our two countries and the region,” Mr. Velasco added.
Some might call that negotiating publicly. Securing the border was more attractive for Mexico during the Trump administration. It looked like a joint venture because President Trump wanted tight security at the southern border. With the Biden administration signaling that they are something far less than border hawks and might as well hang “Welcome” signs along the river, Mexico cracking down will make America’s southern neighbor look like the bad guy.
Trump EVISCERATES Biden’s Immigration Policy, Warns Loose Border Spreads COVID
Biden has one thing on his side in these negotiations: the way Mexican citizens felt about migration through their country in 2019. During the last wave, a study from the Washington Post and a Mexican newspaper Reforma found:
More than 6 in 10 Mexicans say migrants are a burden on their country because they take jobs and benefits that should belong to Mexicans. A 55 percent majority supports deporting migrants who travel through Mexico to reach the United States.
Shocking: Mexican citizens think Mexico is a sovereign nation with borders. I wonder if AOC would call them racists? Biden may want to consider that not all Hispanic Americans are big fans of illegal immigration, either. It might have something to do with the more than 10% increase in that demographic President Trump earned in 2020, including some entire counties along the border.
Biden may also want to rethink amnesty. According to Rasmussen’s poll, 55% of independent likely voters oppose it. That is a crucial constituency, and a “path” to citizenship will extend beyond the 2024 election if likely voters get their way. Fifty-seven percent say it should take at least ten years. If Democrats don’t let the bill die against the Senate filibuster saying they tried and failed to pass it, 66% of likely voters will demand that the bill include an end to chain migration. Sixty-one percent also want employers to use E-Verify to prevent future illegal immigrants from getting employed.
Rasmussen also notes:
Since Election Day, the Rasmussen Reports Immigration Index has reached record lows – falling 20 points since the week of October 22 – indicating voters are looking for tighter immigration control from President Joe Biden’s administration.
Vulnerable Democrats in the House might want to nudge Moderate Joe and tell him to knock off the open borders crap. It could be just as detrimental to them in 2022 as “Defund the Police” was to some of their former colleagues last fall.