Even I am not perfect, as hard as that is to believe.
I completely missed a barnburner of a story buried in a POLITICO report on why Biden hasn’t been doing anything to douse the political fire caused by the border crisis.
Rather than taking executive actions to appear tougher on border crossers, Biden is actually considering going in the opposite direction and granting amnesty to long-time illegal residents, handing out Green Cards to people who have hidden inside the country for 10 years or longer.
Biden Considering Granting Amnesty, Handing Out Green Cards To Illegal Immigrantshttps://t.co/EgfuZmklvr
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 26, 2024
That’ll stop the flow of illegals crossing the border! It’s a sure-fire hit. I’m a bit shocked that he isn’t considering a program to grant citizenship and register them all to vote, but maybe he hopes to accomplish that goal in his increasingly unlikely second term.
Biden and his administration are weighing several ideas to take a tougher stance on the southern border crisis and illegal immigration amid criticisms he has thus far failed to act on either. The administration could start dolling out green cards to illegal immigrants who have long stayed inside the United States, thereby giving them amnesty to stay in the country, three people familiar with the planning told Politico.
There are probably 15-20 people left in the country under the mistaken impression that Biden hasn’t intentionally created the crisis at the border, and it seems unlikely that this bit of news will do anything to persuade them that Biden is anything but totally sincere in his desire to protect Americans.
The plan would grant migrants who have been in the country for more than 10 years access to the cancellation of removal program provided that they have relatives who would suffer if they were deported, according to Politico. Migrants could then receive a green card — a permanent residency grant — if they meet the cancellation of removal requirements and an immigration judge rules in their favor.
It would represent a larger effort by Biden to take action on behalf of illegal immigrants who have long stayed inside the U.S., the three officials told Politico. The Obama administration took similar action in 2012 with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which delayed the deportation of illegal migrants who came to the U.S. when they were minors.
This new program would create an endurance test in the immigration system; if you can make it across the border you just need to avoid ICE long enough to get a Green Card.
Oh, and ICE promises not to look for you, either. It can’t keep up with its duties ushering in and flying around the people who are currently attacking Texas National Guard troops. They need to start the clock running to get their own Green Card at the end of the rainbow.
The most perplexing thing about this idea is not that Biden is considering it; who doesn’t believe that Biden wants as many potential voters lining up to vote Democrat as soon as possible?
No, it’s that the Administration leaked this story to POLITICO now in an environment where voters list immigration as one of the most important issues facing the country.
Perhaps it is an attempt to shore up his left flank, which has been disenchanted with his Israel-Hamas policies. Biden clearly is pandering to the left on that issue lately, failing to veto a resolution at the UN Security Council that harmed Israel. It could be that Biden feels the need to lock down his base, and leaking this tidbit might help.
Of course, actually doing this would be a political disaster for him, but Biden has such a bad sense of the country that he could be seriously considering it anyway.
It is still possible that Biden may take some executive actions to improve the optics at the border. POLITICO reports that the administration is deeply worried about those optics while simultaneously worried about a backlash on their left wing.
The delay in action from the administration has left some immigration advocates hopeful that the White House will ultimately abandon plans to curtail asylum altogether. But the expectation remains that the administration will charge ahead with efforts to crack down on the border once another surge complicates the picture for the president.
“I do think that in a heartbeat, if they felt like they needed to do something because of the images of too many people coming or whatever they were afraid of, they would do it,” said one of the people familiar with the administration’s planning.
Our country is in the very best of hands.