President Joe Biden‘s looming executive order to shut down the border once entries exceed a certain point is leading to frustration among his Democratic allies.
Biden is expected to sign the order Tuesday after years of intense pressure. Progressive Democrats are already voicing their criticism, comparing Biden to former President Donald Trump.
“I think it’s really disappointing,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Congressional Progressive Caucus chairwoman, told Semafor. “[It] just plays into the idea that somehow harsh enforcement is going to work. That was Trump’s approach. We should be showing what the difference is.”
“You can build a wall as high as you want. You can make it hard to receive asylum if you want,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) said. “It’s not going to sustainably reduce the number of people wanting to come to the United States for a number of reasons until you identify and address root causes.”
Other Democrats argued that Biden’s move won’t change the public perception of him.
“We shouldn’t fall into the trap that Republicans have set for us,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) said. “It’s not going to help the president politically because I don’t think Fox News is ever going to give him any credit.”
Other left-wing activists voiced their outrage, including the X account Holding Biden Accountable.
“Biden supporters are openly celebrating how he’s going further right than extremist Republicans by bypassing Congress to ban asylum and ramp up deportations,” the account posted. “The only difference between this and the MAGA cult cheering Trump’s racist immigration policies is the added hypocrisy.”
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The border has emerged as Biden’s weakest point in popular perception, with polls continually showing disapproval of his handling of the border crisis.
Under the Biden administration, nearly 10 million foreigners have been found attempting to enter the U.S. illegally, with many more unaccounted for.
