President Joe Biden is calling on Republicans to cease “weaponizing” his choice to permit millions of economic migrants to enter the southern border. This message was underscored during a meeting with mayors at the White House on Friday.
“Next week, we’re gonna be able to work out something, at least in the Senate, and I’m hopeful it is going to be the bipartisan package the Senate is going to pass,” he told the attendees, adding, “Now the question is for the [House] Speaker and House Republicans: Are they ready to act as well? They have to choose whether they want to solve a problem or keep weaponizing issues to score political points against the president.”
Over the past three years, Biden and his team have acknowledged around five million undocumented immigrants, in addition to approximately three million legal immigrants. The influx of migrants, averaging about one undocumented migrant for every two American births, has had a dampening effect on American wages and contributed to an increase in housing costs:
WATCH: Legions of Fighting-Age Males From Africa Camp Along Border Barrier In Arizona Desert
— Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) January 20, 2024
📹 @liberty_clarion pic.twitter.com/RKfkqc3vk2
Biden’s substantial influx has presented a significant challenge for his 2024 reelection bid. Two polls indicate that over half of Americans characterize this inflow as an invasion. In January, a plurality of 37 percent, as revealed by CBS, expressed that migration is making the country “worse off:
Biden: Are the Speaker and House Republicans ready to act as well? They have to choose on whether they want to solve a problem or keep weaponizing an issue to score political points. I’m ready to solve the problem. pic.twitter.com/B2Qz2itwgz
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 19, 2024
As of now, there is no indication that Biden’s officials are inclined to halt illegal labor migration. Reports from the media suggest that Biden’s deputies are resisting efforts to reduce the influx of migrants using the emergency “parole” entry at the border. Additionally, leaks from last week indicate that the proposed deal might grant legal approval for a significant increase in migration beyond the existing limits on legal immigration. However, Biden conveyed to the mayors that he is committed to “solving the problem.”
I want to talk about another top issue: The border. I love how [when my TV is] turned on and [I see that] “Biden is for free and open border, tear down [the wall], everybody come, no restrictions.” It used to be a bipartisan issue in this country. It should be one again.
I’ve been clear from the very beginning: The [immigration] system is broken. My first day in office, I sent Congress a comprehensive plan on immigration reform [and amnesty]. My friends on the other side have done nothing with it. Over and over, I’ve asked for resources to step up action with the border. In October, I asked Congress for funding that would add … 22,000 additional border agents and officers, hundreds of new immigration judges to make the judgments on the spot, new detection equipment to stop fentanyl from coming into the country. And, by the way, I’ve worked with China and Mexico to slow the flow of fentanyl in the United States. As I speak, it is on its way down.
So let me be clear. My team has been at the table for weeks now with a bipartisan group of senators to negotiate a deal including border because I believe we need significant policy changes, including changes in our asylum system to ensure that we have the [legal] authorities we need to control the border, and I’m ready to act … I think next week we’re gonna be able to work out something, at least in the Senate, and I’m hopeful it is going to be the bipartisan package the Senate is going to pass, God willing.
Now the question is for the [House] Speaker and House Republicans: Are they ready to act as well? They have to choose whether they want to solve a problem or keep weaponizing issues to score political points against the president.
I’m ready to solve the problem. I really am. Massive changes. I mean it sincerely.
Joe Biden has been flat-out lying about the border crisis for almost 3 years. pic.twitter.com/8ki1ayqbTV
— GOP (@GOP) January 19, 2024
Several other Democrats are now expressing their commitment to address the migration issue. According to a report from Politico on January 17:
More than a dozen House Democrats joined with the chamber’s Republicans in backing a resolution slamming the Biden administration for its handling of the southern border in a floor vote Wednesday.
The non-binding resolution, which passed 225-187, “denounces the Biden administration’s open-borders policies” and “condemns the national security and public safety crisis” it says results from them. It was sponsored by Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas).
The Senate’s Republican leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, is advocating for an immigration vote in the upcoming week, despite the details of the senators’ agreement not being disclosed to the public. McConnell stated to reporters on Wednesday, “We’ve been talking about this for a very long time; it’s time to try to act.” He emphasized that, in his opinion, the problem “is not going to get better until you actually say, ‘We’re going to do it next week.'”
