Three Years Too Late, Biden Finally Acknowledges The Border Crisis His Policies Caused

Research | The Leader Board | THE NEWSROOM | Republican LeaderSkip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER McCONNELL×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER McCONNELLxxsearchxMENUFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebookTwitterInstagramVisit Senator McConnell's site here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER McCONNELLxxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMThe Leader Board06.04.24Three Years Too Late, Biden Finally Acknowledges The Border Crisis His Policies CausedPolitical Imperatives Have Finally Induced President Biden To Do What Three Years Of Disastrous Consequences For His Administration’s Immigration Policies Could Not After Overseeing A Record-Setting Border Crisis Of His Own Making, President Biden Is Finally Going To Do Something … Out Of Political Desperation“President Joe Biden is set to sign a long-anticipated executive order as soon as Tuesday that would allow him to ‘shut down’ the southern border should crossings surge, according to four people familiar with the administration’s plans.” (“Biden Executive Action On The Border Could Come As Early As Tuesday,” Politico, 6/02/2024)“[I]mmigration remains a top concern heading into the U.S. presidential election in November…” (“Biden Is Said To Be Finalizing Plans For Migrant Limits As Part Of A US-Mexico Border Clampdown,” The Associated Press, 5/30/2024)“The White House has repeatedly stressed the unique challenges it faces in trying to control record migration across the Western hemisphere that’s resulted in thousands of migrants at the US-Mexico border and overwhelmed federal resources. But voters appear unconvinced, as Biden continues to lag Trump on border security in polls.” (“White House And Democratic Lawmakers Plot Ways To Strengthen Their Hand On Border Security,” CNN, 5/18/2024)‘A Longstanding Political Weak Spot For The President’ … ‘They’re Really Worried About The Election’“The White House and top congressional Democrats are discussing a series of moves aimed at strengthening their hand on border security ahead of the first presidential debate next month.” (“White House And Democratic Lawmakers Plot Ways To Strengthen Their Hand On Border Security,” CNN, 5/18/2024)·       “The move would allow Biden, whose administration has taken smaller steps in recent weeks to discourage migration and speed up asylum processing, to say he has done all he can do to control the border numbers without help from Congress.” (“Biden Is Said To Be Finalizing Plans For Migrant Limits As Part Of A US-Mexico Border Clampdown,” The Associated Press, 5/30/2024)·       “The White House has long been eager to show more action on the border — a longstanding political weak spot for the president.” (“Biden Executive Action On The Border Could Come As Early As Tuesday,” Politico, 6/02/2024)“‘They’re really worried about the election,’ said one of the people who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations.” (“Biden Executive Action On The Border Could Come As Early As Tuesday,” Politico, 6/02/2024)“For weeks, administration officials have been working through an executive action that would dramatically limit migrants’ ability to seek asylum at the US southern border — part of a strategy to try to give Biden the upper hand on one of his Republican rival’s key campaign issues. The action is designed to potentially blunt Republican attacks on border security and preempt former President Donald Trump ahead of the first presidential debate, which will be held on June 27 on CNN.” (“Biden Administration Preparing To Announce Border Executive Action As Early As Tuesday,” CNN, 6/01/2024)“The announcement was first anticipated ahead of the president’s State of the Union address, but White House officials shelved the plans …” (“Biden Executive Action On The Border Could Come As Early As Tuesday,” Politico, 6/02/2024)“‘Every week, they’re just going to whittle away at the narrative politically,’ said a former administration official. ‘And this is just another move to do that.’” (“The Border Executive Order(s) Are Coming,” Politico’s “West Wing Playbook,” 5/17/2024)‘Biden Officials Have Wavered On The Timeline For Issuing An Executive Order For Months’“Biden officials have wavered on the timeline for issuing an executive order for months.” (“Biden Executive Action On The Border Could Come As Early As Tuesday,” Politico, 6/02/2024)·       “Biden has been deliberating for months to act on his own…” (The Associated Press, 6/03/2024)·       “Mr. Biden for months has considered issuing an executive order to prevent people who cross illegally into the United States from claiming asylum.” (“Senate to Vote Again on Border Deal as Democrats Seek Political Edge,” The New York Times, 5/20/2024)·       “Rolling out the policy this week also avoids an announcement falling too close to the 12th anniversary of DACA on June 12, at which pro-immigrant groups will continue to press the White House for additional action protecting classes of long-term, undocumented immigrants in the country.” (“Biden Executive Action On The Border Could Come As Early As Tuesday,” Politico, 6/02/2024) The White House Spent Over Three Months Saying Biden Would Finally Take Executive Action On The Border Crisis While Delaying And Agonizing Over The DecisionBiden Went Back and Forth On An Executive Order, Made Publicized Personnel Changes, And Even Floated New Amnesty Provisions As He Delayed ActionFEBRUARY 21st: “The Biden administration is considering taking unilateral action without Congress to make it harder for migrants to pass the initial screening for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border and quickly deport recently arrived migrants who don’t meet the criteria, say three U.S. officials with knowledge of the deliberations…. A congressional aide with knowledge of the deliberations said the Biden administration has yet to make a decision …” (“Biden Administration Weighs Action To Make It Harder For Migrants To Get Asylum And Easier To Deport Them Faster,” NBC News, 2/21/2024)MARCH 2nd: “On his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border this week, President Biden … did not sign a much-prognosticated executive action to crack down on asylum…. On the same trip, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas …also brushed aside any suggestion that Biden would announce executive actions.” (“Biden Hunt For Border Actions Coming Up Empty,” The Hill, 3/02/2024)MARCH 25th: “A month ago, the White House was openly considering a string of executive actions to curb migration at the southern border. But no announcements were made. And now, immigration advocates who had been engaged with the Biden administration about the moves say they no longer appear imminent. Administration officials are still weighing new actions, including restrictions on asylum … But inside the White House, aides do not feel a sense of urgency like they did before, even as the issue of immigration remains a chief concern for voters.” (“Biden Was Planning Executive Action On The Border. Now He’s Gone Silent.,” Politico, 3/25/2024)APRIL 10th: “President Biden used an interview with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision that aired Tuesday to send a massive signal that he plans to issue an executive order to dramatically limit the number of asylum-seekers who can cross the southern border. Axios is told that while it's not final, such an executive order is likely by the end of April.” (“Biden Plans Order To Limit Southern Border Crossings By End Of Month,” Axios, 4/10/2024)APRIL 15th: “President Biden's road to a dramatic executive order to stem illegal border crossings — now expected within weeks — has dragged out for months as he prepares for legal challenges, political backlash and enforcement shortages…. Despite political and practical risks, Biden is expected to take executive action on the border in the coming weeks, as Axios has reported. Last week, the White House notified senior Capitol Hill aides that they will soon be briefing them on the president's border plans, according to a person familiar with the matter.” (“Inside Biden's Delay On Going ‘Nuclear’ At The Border,” Axios, 4/15/2024)APRIL 22nd: “There is a growing recognition among Biden’s top political advisers that the president could benefit from taking a positive step on immigration to contrast with his tough talk on the issue, and with an expected executive order aiming to sharply curb illegal crossings at the southern border. Officials inside the White House and at the Department of Homeland Security have been studying a range of proposals to provide work permits or deportation relief for millions of undocumented immigrants who have lived and worked in the U.S. for a long time…. Though the announcement of a program isn’t imminent, officials say, the White House has discussed timing it before the election as a sort of one-two punch following an executive order …” (“Biden Weighs Giving Legal Status to Immigrant Spouses of U.S. Citizens,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/22/2024)MAY 3rd: “The Biden administration is eyeing a new point guard on border issues, with plans to bring in the Department of Homeland Security's Blas Nuñez-Neto, Axios has learned…. It's the second border-related move involving senior White House personnel in recent months, after years of the administration struggling to get a handle on historic levels of migration. The move comes as Biden's administration considers executive actions on immigration and the border — and as voters continue to rank illegal immigration as a top concern heading into the Nov. 5 election.” (“Biden Beefs Up Border Team As Pressure Builds,” Axios, 5/03/2024)MAY 15th: “The Biden administration is preparing more changes to the nation’s asylum system meant to speed up processing and potential removal of migrants who continue to arrive at the southern border, an interim step as President Joe Biden continues to mull a broader executive order to crack down on border crossings that may come later this year.” (“The Biden Administration Is Planning More Changes To Quicken Asylum Processing For New Migrants,” The Associated Press, 5/15/2024)MAY 30th: “The White House is finalizing plans for a U.S.-Mexico border clampdown … with President Joe Biden expected to sign an executive order as early as Tuesday, according to four people familiar with the matter.” (“Biden Is Said To Be Finalizing Plans For Migrant Limits As Part Of A US-Mexico Border Clampdown,” The Associated Press, 5/30/2024) At Last, Biden Decided To Act, But Only After Delaying Long Enough For His Senate Allies To Play Political Games With Border SecurityMAY 14th: “Democrats have downplayed the political threat they face this year due to the huge surge of migrants across the southern border, but their recent actions show they are increasingly nervous about the political liability of the issue, which polls at the top of voters’ concerns. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is stepping up his messaging effort on border security, and he has told colleagues he plans to bring the bipartisan Senate border security deal back to the floor for a vote next week.” (“Anxiety Grows Among Democrats Over Biden Border Issues,” The Hill, 5/14/2024)MAY 20th: “Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, plans to push forward this week with a second vote on a bipartisan border enforcement bill … The measure is almost certain to be blocked again, but Democrats hope to use the failed vote to sharpen an election-year contrast with the G.O.P. on a critical issue that polls show is a major potential liability for President Biden and their candidates.” (“Senate to Vote Again on Border Deal as Democrats Seek Political Edge,” The New York Times, 5/20/2024)MAY 23rd: “The Biden administration is goading Senate Republicans … Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is planning a second vote on the bill Thursday … White House officials Wednesday sought to put the onus for border inaction on the GOP.” (“Biden Administration Dares Republicans To Vote For Senate Border Package,” The Hill, 5/23/2024)·       “Chuck Schumer’s second attempt to advance a sweeping border package failed by a wider margin than the first time … [E]ven Republicans who supported the deal last time around … lambasted Senate Democrats for putting the bill on the floor. They dubbed it a blatant campaign messaging tactic …” (“Senate Border Vote Fails Again, Losing Support From Both Sides,” Politico, 5/23/2024)·       “The vote amounted to a political trap laid for Republicans by Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader. He scheduled it in hopes of using the bill’s second failure on the floor to highlight an election-year contrast with the G.O.P. on immigration, an issue that polls show is a major potential liability for President Biden and his party.” (“Border Deal Fails Again in the Senate as Democrats Seek Political Edge,” The New York Times, 5/23/2024)‘Democrats See Wins in Losing Votes,’ ‘Politics Edges Out Legislating’“In losing big votes, Senator Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and majority leader, believes his party stands to win…. With most of the heavy legislative lifting done for the year and the election that will decide control of Congress fast approaching, Senate Democrats are turning to the ‘electoral consequences’ part of their agenda, and messaging votes will be a regular feature.” (“Democrats See Wins in Losing Votes,” The New York Times, 5/22/2024)·       “While lawmakers will need to pass stopgap funding to keep the government open at the start of the new fiscal year in October, other substantive issues will almost certainly be delayed … Look instead for votes on … political messaging bills that stand little chance of becoming law …” (“Politics Edges Out Legislating as Congress Braces for Election,” Bloomberg Government, 6/03/2024)“Mr. Schumer, who has long played a central role in mapping his party’s political strategy, has a two-pronged plan that will unfold in the coming weeks with a focus on abortion rights and border security.” (“Democrats See Wins in Losing Votes,” The New York Times, 5/22/2024)·       “Senate Democrats will likely schedule more votes on legislation unlikely to pass to create a contrast with Republicans.” (“Politics Edges Out Legislating as Congress Braces for Election,” Bloomberg Government, 6/03/2024)“Democrats are trying to use ‘show votes’ to boost their most vulnerable incumbents in November.” (“AM: Congress Faces New Trump Landscape,” Punchbowl News, 6/03/2024)·       “The decision by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to hold a second vote on the bipartisan border security bill was widely seen as a political exercise…” (“Democrats In Tight Races Support Border Bill Despite Past Opposition To Stricter Asylum Rules And Border Wall Money,” CNN, 5/24/2024) Yet The Biden Administration Did NOTHING As The Crisis Spiraled Out Of Control Over The Last Year‘The Number Of People Taken Into Custody By The U.S. Border Patrol Has Reached The Highest Levels In The Agency’s 100-Year History Under Biden’“The number of people taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol has reached the highest levels in the agency’s 100-year history under Biden, averaging 2 million per year.” (“Trump Vs. Biden On Immigration: 12 Charts Comparing U.S. Border Security,” The Washington Post, 2/12/2024)·       “Arrests for illegal crossings topped 2 million for the first time each of the U.S. government’s last two budget years …” (“Illegal Crossings Surge In Remote Areas As Congress And The White House Weigh Major Asylum Limits,” The Associated Press, 12/19/2023)“The Biden administration has released more than 2.3 million border crossers into the United States since 2021.” (“Trump Vs. Biden On Immigration: 12 Charts Comparing U.S. Border Security,” The Washington Post, 2/12/2024)These Staggering Numbers Include Record Numbers Of Encounters For A Single Month And A Single Day In December 2023“The besieged U.S. southern border saw a record number of migrant encounters in a single day on Monday, as thousands flooded into Eagle Pass, Texas, amid a broader surge in recent weeks that has left authorities overwhelmed. There were over 12,600 migrant encounters on [December 18th], Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox.” (“Southern Border Hit By Record Number Of Migrant Encounters In A Single Day As Thousands Flood Into Texas,” Fox News, 12/19/2023)“The U.S. southern border saw its highest rate of illegal migrant encounters [in December 2023], blowing away previous statistics. Sources with Customs and Border Protection told Fox News Digital that migrant encounters hit a staggering 300,000 incidents in the last month of 2023, reaching a level thought unimaginable just years ago. Between Dec. 1 and December 31, more than 302,000 migrants were documented attempting to cross the U.S. southern border. It is the highest total for a single month ever recorded. It is also the first time migrant encounters have exceeded 300,000.” (“Migrant Encounters At Southern Border Hit Record 302K In December, Sources Say,” Fox News, 1/01/2024)·       “The current spike in migration peaked before Christmas, during the week starting on Dec. 14 and ending on Dec. 20, when Border Patrol averaged 9,773 daily apprehensions, according to the data. On several days that week, the agency processed more than 10,000 migrants in 24 hours.” (“Migrant Crossings At U.S. Southern Border Reach Record Monthly High In December,” CBS News, 12/28/2023)Known Gotaways ‘Have *Exploded* Under The Biden Admin’: Over 1.6 Million In Three Years “Internal CBP data I obtained via FOIA request reveals 13 years of known gotaways data at the border, showing gotaways have *exploded* under the Biden admin compared to the Trump & Obama years. This is the first time these numbers have ever been revealed.” (Fox News’ Bill Melugin, @BillMelugin_, Twitter, 5/15/2024)“For perspective, in the decade of FY 2010 through FY 2020 under both Obama & Trump, CBP recorded over 1.4 million known gotaways. In the three years of FY 2021 through FY 2023, CBP recorded over 1.6 million known gotaways.” (Fox News’ Bill Melugin, @BillMelugin_, Twitter, 5/15/2024)Biden Officials Then Spent Three Years On ‘Infighting, Blame-Shifting And Indecision,’ Instead Of Addressing The Crisis“Aboard Air Force One en route to tour the southern border in January 2023, President Biden sat at the head of his conference table and exploded with fury. The president lit into his team, which included then-Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon, Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall and other immigration officials…. The previously unreported meeting, recounted to Axios by three people familiar with the events, is emblematic of the Biden administration's struggle with the border crisis during the past three years — infighting, blame-shifting and indecision.” (“How Biden Botched The Border,” Axios, 2/12/2024)·       “The White House generally didn't want to talk publicly about immigration or the border for much of Biden's first three years, feeling it would draw attention to a political vulnerability, sources said…. Publicly, the White House also initially downplayed jumps in illegal border crossings as normal ‘ebbs and flows’ — even as some internally pushed to acknowledge that the problem was significant.” (“How Biden Botched The Border,” Axios, 2/12/2024)·       “Vice President Kamala Harris and her office made clear to others in the administration that her responsibilities began and ended with the factors driving people to leave Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador — the issue Biden had assigned her to examine. As the migration became more global, Harris' team remained focused on the Northern Triangle and Mexico. A former Biden administration senior official told Axios: ‘She's been at best ineffective, and at worst sporadically engaged and not seeing it was her responsibility. It's an opportunity for her, and she didn't fill the breach.’” (“How Biden Botched The Border,” Axios, 2/12/2024) FLASHBACK: Biden Invited Illegal Aliens To ‘Surge To The Border’ During His Campaign And Immediately Set About Dismantling Border Security Measures As PresidentThen-Presidential Candidate Biden: ‘I Would In Fact Make Sure… We Immediately Surge To The Border All Those People Are Seeking Asylum,’ ‘You Should Come,’ ‘Come To The United States’JOE BIDEN: “What I would do as president is several more things because things have changed. I would in fact, make sure that there is we immediately surge to the border all those people are seeking asylum. They deserve to be heard. That’s who we are. We are a nation that says if you want to flee and you’re fleeing oppression you should come.” (ABC News Democratic Presidential Debate, 9/12/2019)JOE BIDEN: “All of the bad things are coming through ports of entry right now. We don’t need a wall and by the way I would immediately as president surge to the border. I would end this notion for the first time in history the people seeking asylum have to be in squalor on the other side of the river and--and desperate situation. They should be-- be-- come to the United States and have a judgment made as to whether or not they qualify. I would also surge to the border immigration judges to make--make decisions immediately and no one, no one would be put in jail while waiting for their hearing.” (CNN and Univision Democratic Presidential Debate, 3/15/2020)‘And Those Who Come Seeking Asylum, We Should Immediately Have The Capacity To Absorb ThemJOE BIDEN: “But the fact is that, look, we should not be locking people up. We should be making sure we change the circumstance, as we did, why they would leave in the first place. And those who come seeking asylum, we should immediately have the capacity to absorb them, keep them safe until they can be heard.” (NBC News Democratic Presidential Debate, 6/27/2019)‘When He Took Office, President Joe Biden Loosened Rules At The Border’When he took office, President Joe Biden loosened rules at the border, letting children without parents cross — but agents were supposed to expel all other undocumented migrants. The policy allows the Biden administration to say, ‘The border is closed.’ In reality, the border is not closed.” (“Under Biden, Crossing The Border Has Become Like A Lottery For Migrants. Timing Is Everything.,” NBC News, 6/02/2021)·       “Keeping promises he made during the 2020 campaign, Biden signed several immigration-related executive orders in his first weeks in office, undoing many of Trump's border restrictions before much of Biden's immigration team was in place or settled. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a 100-day moratorium on migrant deportations on Biden's first day — despite some senior officials' concerns.” (“How Biden Botched The Border,” Axios, 2/12/2024)“During the president’s first days in office, his administration announced it would not use the Title 42 policy to turn back unaccompanied minors who arrive without a parent or guardian. Their numbers began to shoot up almost immediately, and images of migrant children and teens packed shoulder-to-shoulder in detention facilities produced the administration’s first border emergency.” (“Trump Vs. Biden On Immigration: 12 Charts Comparing U.S. Border Security,” The Washington Post, 2/12/2024)“The department also announced that asylum seekers who attempt to enter the United States will no longer be part of a controversial policy enacted under former President Donald Trump that has forced tens of thousands to wait in Mexico for American court hearings. The deportation moratorium and changes to the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as ‘remain in Mexico,’ come on President Joe Biden’s first day in office.” (“Biden Administration Pauses Deportations For 100 Days And Suspends “Remain In Mexico” Policy For Asylum Seekers,” The Texas Tribune, 1/20/2021)“On Biden’s first day in office his administration ordered a pause on most arrests and deportations from the interior of the United States by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).” (“Trump Vs. Biden On Immigration: 12 Charts Comparing U.S. Border Security,” The Washington Post, 2/12/2024)·       “Cancel the Trump administration’s interior enforcement rule. Biden revoked a Trump executive order that massively expanded immigration officials’ interior enforcement work and broadened the categories of who they should try to detain and deport. His acting DHS secretary then issued a memo pausing deportations for 100 days beginning on Jan. 22.” (“The 17 Things Joe Biden Did On Day One,” Politico, 1/21/2021)“Halt construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Biden declared an immediate termination of the national emergency declaration that the Trump administration used to divert federal funding to building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and ordered a pause on its construction while the new administration reviews the funding and contracts.” (“The 17 Things Joe Biden Did On Day One,” Politico, 1/21/2021)‘Biden Transition Officials Understood The Risks,’ ‘Yet Biden Immediately Embarked On An Aggressive Strategy To Roll Back’ Stronger Enforcement Policies ‘That Increased The Flow Of Migrants And Encouraged More To Try Their Luck’“The situation at the border — which Biden and his advisers steadfastly refuse to call a crisis — is the result of an administration that was forewarned of the coming surge, yet still ill-prepared and lacking the capacity to deal with it. Administration officials have been plagued by muddled messaging, sometimes making appeals that seem directed more at liberal activists than the migrants they need to dissuade from coming to the country.” (“‘No End In Sight’: Inside The Biden Administration’s Failure To Contain The Border Surge,” The Washington Post, 3/20/2021)·       “Biden transition officials understood the risks, as well, identifying a surge of unaccompanied minors and a dearth of shelter space exacerbated by the pandemic as the most pressing problems. Yet Biden immediately embarked on an aggressive strategy to roll back Trump administration policies.” (“‘No End In Sight’: Inside The Biden Administration’s Failure To Contain The Border Surge,” The Washington Post, 3/20/2021)·       “Biden did not have adequate preparations in place when he began rolling back some of Trump’s policies and sounding a welcoming note.” (“‘No End In Sight’: Inside The Biden Administration’s Failure To Contain The Border Surge,” The Washington Post, 3/20/2021)“During his first week in office, Biden signed a slew of executive actions aimed at undoing Trump’s immigration policies and released comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Most notable among the changes has been the decision to no longer expel unaccompanied minors who show up at the border, resulting in more children coming into US custody. Those policy changes, some argue, sent a signal to migrants that it was the time to come to the United States, despite administration officials warning them it wasn’t.” (“How The Border Problem Caught The Biden Team Off Guard, And How They’ve Scrambled To Fix It,” CNN, 3/20/2021)“The administration also took several steps — including saying it would allow unaccompanied minors into the country — that increased the flow of migrants and encouraged more to try their luck.” (“‘No End In Sight’: Inside The Biden Administration’s Failure To Contain The Border Surge,” The Washington Post, 3/20/2021)‘These Are All Self-Inflicted Wounds’: The Biden Administration Was Warned Repeatedly That A Surge Of Migrants Could Result From Their Policies And Messaging, From Both The Prior Administration And Career Homeland Security Officials“The warnings began before Biden even took office. During the transition period, career officials at U.S. Customs and Border Protection tried to issue sober alarms to the Biden team about the likelihood of a crisis at the border that could quickly overwhelm the nation’s capacity. Senior CBP officials delivered Zoom briefings to the Biden transition team that included modeling projections showing a steep increase in the arrival of unaccompanied minors if Trump’s policies were suddenly lifted, according to one current and two former Department of Homeland Security officials.” (“‘No End In Sight’: Inside The Biden Administration’s Failure To Contain The Border Surge,” The Washington Post, 3/20/2021)·       “Chad Wolf, the acting DHS secretary at that time, did not participate in the meetings, but said he talked to transition officials about the risks they faced, and that career officials … briefed the Biden team to help underscore the legitimacy of the crisis. ‘It’s one thing to hear it from political appointees, but career folks were telling them the same thing. They should have been better prepared,’ Wolf said. ‘And I know they were briefed in detail by CBP.’” (“‘No End In Sight’: Inside The Biden Administration’s Failure To Contain The Border Surge,” The Washington Post, 3/20/2021)“[Former acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark] Morgan said the Biden transition team was ‘specifically warned again and again and again,’ adding that officials had worked on modeling to project the jump in encounters if Trump policies were pulled back.” (“How The Border Problem Caught The Biden Team Off Guard, And How They’ve Scrambled To Fix It,” CNN, 3/20/2021)“Republicans have assailed Biden’s handling of the situation, blaming his early actions to overturn some of the Trump administration’s draconian border enforcement policies for inducing what is shaping up to be a historic surge of migrants to the border. ‘These are all self-inflicted wounds,’ a Homeland Security official said.” (“How The Border Problem Caught The Biden Team Off Guard, And How They’ve Scrambled To Fix It,” CNN, 3/20/2021)“The gap between the number of migrants taken into CBP custody versus the number of people who are sent back or deported has widened each of the last three years.” (“Trump Vs. Biden On Immigration: 12 Charts Comparing U.S. Border Security,” The Washington Post, 2/12/2024)REMINDER: ‘Democrats Were Roundly United Against Former President Donald Trump’s Immigration Policies’ And Didn’t Oppose Biden’s Reversals Of Them“Democrats were roundly united against former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.” (“Democrats In Tight Races Support Border Bill Despite Past Opposition To Stricter Asylum Rules And Border Wall Money,” CNN, 5/24/2024)“Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jacky Rosen of Nevada both strongly opposed a measure known as Title 42 that was initiated under Trump during Covid-19 allowing officials to turn away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border. Brown and Rosen were among 34 Democratic senators who signed onto an open letter in 2020 criticizing the Trump administration’s asylum policies, even likening them to denying safe passage to Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust in World War II.” (“Democrats In Tight Races Support Border Bill Despite Past Opposition To Stricter Asylum Rules And Border Wall Money,” CNN, 5/24/2024)“Tester was on the record opposing a wall long before Trump became a political figure. While running for the Senate in 2006, amidst a different immigration crisis, Tester said during a debate, ‘It’s not secure in the least … But in the end, if we’re focused on this – I am not in favor of by the way building a fence or a wall or anything else like that.’” (“Democrats In Tight Races Support Border Bill Despite Past Opposition To Stricter Asylum Rules And Border Wall Money,” CNN, 5/24/2024)·       “Tester also has a history of mocking the wall as ‘ineffective and wasteful’ and as a ‘Medieval border wall’ that was not technologically advanced. In January 2019, Tester spoke out against Trump’s border wall along the entire US-Mexico border, saying, ‘I will tell you unequivocally, a wall from sea to shining sea is not the right direction to go.’” (“Democrats In Tight Races Support Border Bill Despite Past Opposition To Stricter Asylum Rules And Border Wall Money,” CNN, 5/24/2024)  ###SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTERRelated Issues: National Security, Senate Democrats, Border Security, Immigration, Executive OrdersPrintEmailTweetPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER McCONNELLFacebookTwitterInstagram