President Joe Biden gave cover to Republicans in Congress who have said they won’t consider legislation on immigration until the border crisis has been resolved.
“I know they have to posture for a while. Let them get it out of their system,” said Biden, a 36-year veteran of the Senate, during his first press conference at the White House on Thursday.
Biden this week enlisted Vice President Kamala Harris to handle the border situation, a politically fraught issue for Democrats, likely to present a challenge to the party from Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections. Federal facilities are struggling to accommodate the number of unaccompanied minors and families arriving at the southern border, and the White House has declined access to most of the media.
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Democrats want to pass immigration reform legislation, as do some Republicans. Upon taking office, Biden immediately sent a sweeping immigration bill to Congress, while last week, the House passed two immigration bills with bipartisan support.
However, earning the 60 votes necessary to pass in the Senate will be politically challenging.
Republican lawmakers, who blame the surge at the border on Biden’s rollback of several Trump-era immigration policies to deport illegal immigrants, expel asylum-seekers immediately to Mexico, and build a border wall, say border security is a must in a potential bill.
On Wednesday, Republicans in the Senate also sought unanimous consent on efforts to tighten rules for asylum-seekers, boost protections for children, and require DNA tests for undocumented adults claiming to be related to migrant children, among other changes.
GOP lawmakers also sought a resolution that would bill the situation as a “crisis,” a term the administration avoids. These were blocked by Democrats who control the chamber by the slimmest possible margin.
Pressure is also mounting on the West Wing to wrest control of the border situation as more lawmakers travel to the area.
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Upon taking office, the Biden administration ceased immediately deporting unaccompanied minors and some families, instead allowing them to seek asylum inside the United States, where facilities have become overwhelmed. Some children have been held in Border Patrol facilities past the three-day limit, as the administration urgently seeks new facilities.
The White House has attributed the surge in numbers to cyclical patterns and pent-up demand from former President Donald Trump’s decision to expel people who came across the border.
But while both parties concede that bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform is unlikely, Republican and Democratic lawmakers met Wednesday to discuss the issue, signaling a possible step forward.
During his press conference at the White House, Biden assured reporters that he still wanted to move forward in a bipartisan fashion.
“I’m ready to work with any Republican who wants to help solve the problem or make the situation better,” Biden said.
But in the evenly divided Senate, Democrats will need to find 10 Republican votes to bypass the 60-vote threshold for legislation.
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When asked about the filibuster, the president conceded that “all options on the table.”
