Republicans, according to President Joe Biden, decimated the immigration system while Donald Trump was in office and have subsequently refused to provide him the money he needs to remedy the issue.
At the annual dinner of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute on Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden claimed that “MAGA Republicans in Congress and my predecessor spent four years gutting the immigration system.”They are still undermining our border security and preventing bicameral reform.
Biden claimed to have already given states and towns experiencing a wave of migrants more than $1 billion in cash granted by Congress.
Republicans are threatening to shut down the government, despite the fact that I’ve asked for more funds, he said.
As his 2024 reelection campaign gets underway, the president used the occasion to sharpen his appeal to Latino voters. Latinos’ opinions of Biden have changed, which is problematic for a president who needs as much of their support as possible to win a second term.
In his remarks, Biden emphasized his successes, which included reducing the unemployment rate for Latinos, providing relief from student loan debt, which he claimed was borne primarily by non-White students, and assisting Latino small businesses and entrepreneurs.
But Biden’s speech focused heavily on immigration, a subject close to his heart. Republicans claim that by supporting policies that are overly tolerant of immigrants, the president is encouraging unprecedented border crossings.
Democratic mayors of large cities that are taking in tens of thousands of immigrants, including Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, have complained that the government hasn’t given them enough support. The president is also criticized by immigrant rights activists for not investing enough political clout in a campaign to change the country’s immigration laws early in his administration.
In response to pressure from city officials who claim that the migrants’ inability to find employment while their court cases are pending is one of their biggest financial burdens, the Biden administration took action on Wednesday to temporarily shield 472,000 Venezuelans from deportation and allow them to apply for work permits.
Adams’ criticism seemed to be temporarily subdued by the announcement. The mayor claimed that he “personally spoke” with the White House to express his gratitude for the choice.
I’m optimistic that we can work with President Biden to award Temporary Protected Status to the tens of thousands of other foreign migrants in our care. stated Adams.
The administration declared on Thursday that it would increase the number of Afghans who are qualified for temporary protected status, protecting them from deportation and enabling them to apply for work permits. The additional 14,600 Afghan immigrants will be affected by this adjustment.
Biden has defended his efforts, saying that while his administration is doing everything it can to help states and localities feed and house migrants, legislative action is still required to change the system.
“I’ve also instructed my team to significantly raise the number of refugees from Latin America who are accepted. People who are escaping persecution and bloodshed and just want a better life for their children,” he continued. “Our team will consult with Congress on this plan next week,”
In an emergency spending proposal, the president asked Congress for $4 billion for border security and migration control. The Republican-led House is preparing for a confrontation with Democrats over their own border demands as part of the debate over how to avoid a government shutdown on October 1st, making it difficult for that deal to succeed.
Exit polls indicate that Biden defeated Donald Trump by 65% of the Latino vote in 2020. But in a fictitious rematch, he falls short, earning only 47% of Latinos, according to a polling analysis by the New York Times.
Also Read | Japan’s Aug inflation stays above BOJ target for 17th month