One of the biggest issues in the 2024 election is immigration. Former President Trump ordered congressional members of the GOP to block a bi-partisan border bill that was primarily authored by conservative Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). He (Trump) did not want to “give Biden a win” on the border, preferring instead to be able to campaign on the mess/chaos at the border.
In my opinion, this was extremely short-sighted (but then a lot of what the GOP does is very short-sighted). Yes, by blocking the bill, the border remained chaotic – for a little while. But, Biden quickly signed an executive order that has significantly curtailed border crossings. It may be a short-term fix, but in a sense it gave Biden a clear “win” without having to “share” the glory.
Had Congress passed the border bill, Trump could have campaigned that it was he that pushed the bill’s passage. Individual lawmakers, meanwhile, especially those in vulnerable races, probably would have become more secure in their respective elections.
Instead, the Democrats can promote two aspects: (1) the fact that the border remained insecure because the GOP made the decision not to do anything until Trump is re-elected; and (2) the fact Biden fixed the border without the GOP, temporary though it may be. The fact is border crossings today sit at less than 2,000 a day. In December 2023, 8,000 immigrants a day were crossing into the US!
What can I say – short-sighted!
In his Agenda 47, Trump has proposed some questionable policies. Let’s take a look at one or two.
First, Trump says he will end “birthright citizenship” for babies born to undocumented immigrants. Under the 14th Amendment, anyone born in the US is automatically a US citizen. Trump says this is a great incentive for immigrants to come to the US to have their children.
Trump’s proposal is to “clarify” the 14th Amendment so that it applies only to those born in and “subject to the jurisdiction” of the US. Generally, “subject to the jurisdiction” relates to those without diplomatic immunity. Many constitutional lawyers feel the proposal by Trump will be challenged and may be found to be unconstitutional.
Next, Trump’s first core promise in his Agenda 47 is to “Seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion”. See the post Agenda 47 at https://in-my-humble-opinion.com/2024/08/13/agenda-47/. This is not a new concern. Trump built several hundred miles of “border wall” to try to address the situation. Destabilization in some Latin American countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba has lead to the surge in migration.
Biden has put in place policies to effectively lower the number of asylum seekers. Concentrating on “root causes” VP Harris was charged with meeting with South American allies to work on solutions that discouraged immigrants from leaving their home countries. [NOTE: She was never the “border Czar”; she was never charged with securing the border. She was charged with finding the cause of immigration and helping to find solutions to those causes. Big difference!]
As noted, Biden has signed an executive order that has been somewhat effective. As of today, the number of apprehensions has lowered to summer 2020 numbers. This means whoever takes over in January will inherit a quieter border than Biden inherited!
Yet another one of Trump’s core 20 promises is the largest deportation in the history of our country. Biden is currently on track to deport as many people as the Trump administration did. The difference lies in who was “targeted”. Biden focused on recent arrivals at the border and those in the interior who were a threat to national security or public safety. Trump, on the other hand, deported people from interior arrests that were not targeted and fostered an atmosphere of fear.
Between court backlogs and limited reach of ICE, mass deportations would require Congressional action for more funding and/or legal reforms. Additionally, countries like Venezuela will not allow the US to deport individuals back to their home countries. So the disposition of people detained on day one would be up in the air. Many would not have an answer of could they stay or not until the end of the administration.
Obviously, this is not an all inclusive list of Trump immigration proposals. But, you get the gist. Promise much, deliver little! As with policies in his first administration, many of Trump’s proposal are legally questionable, if not impractical. It all sounds great on paper. But executing is another thing! That was never Trump’s forte!!
IMHO . . .
In My Humble Opinion 