According to an Associated Press story, President Biden is considering a “sweeping crackdown” on the U.S.-Mexico border by utilizing a federal immigration law, the Immigration and Nationality Act. The story, which cites three unnamed administration officials, says a key section in that federal law allows a U.S. president to block entry of illegal aliens – “immigrants” according to the liberal AP – if allowing them into the U.S. is considered “detrimental” to the national interests.
Art Arthur, an attorney and legal expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, says that provision of the federal law was used “many times” during President Trump’s one term in office to control the border.
“And the Supreme Court ruled that that provision, Section 212-F, exudes deference to the president and every clause,” Arthur advises. “So this is a very powerful tool.”
According to immigration watchdog FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, President Biden is dishonestly demanding Congress pass legislation to address the border even though he has authority under Section 212-F to impose rules just as Trump did under that law.
Trump caused ‘chaos, cruelty and confusion’
Trump is perhaps best known for promising a “big, beautiful wall” during his “America First” campaign for president, but his administration also approved numerous immigration policies that cracked down on legal and illegal immigration. Those policies were denounced as racist and xenophobic by Democrats and were reversed – with much fanfare – by President Biden during his first weeks in office.
“The Trump administration’s policies at the border have caused chaos, cruelty and confusion,” reads a February 2021 White House statement (pictured at left) announcing the reversal of Trump’s policies.
“President Biden’s strategy,” that same statement brags, “is centered on the basic premise that our country is safer, stronger, and more prosperous with a fair, safe and orderly immigration system that welcomes immigrants, keeps families together, and allows people—both newly arrived immigrants and people who have lived here for generations—to more fully contribute to our country.”
The Democrats' strategy behind so-called immigration reform is found in the first sentence of that statement, which is Congress approving a “path to citizenship” for an estimated 11 million “undocumented immigrants” living in the United States. That means those illegal aliens are potential Democrat voters and hence they are viewed as beneficial – not “detrimental” – to the White House and to Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Since 2021, however, another 8 million illegal aliens have poured into the U.S. and are remaining here. Many of them have been dumped in Democrat strongholds, such as Chicago and New York City, where Biden supporters who live far away from the U.S.-Mexico border are unhappily seeing the effects of Biden’s open-border policy first hand.
According to the AP story, immigration and the border are some of Biden’s “biggest political liabilities” as he seeks re-election in November.
According to Arthur, people in cities and towns across the U.S. are now dealing with the consequences of a crisis that Biden himself created.
“I think, as it is relates to Biden and immigration, the cake is pretty much baked,” he says. “It would take just a downright shutdown of the Southwest border to really give the president any sort of bump.”
Biden is also under pressure from fellow Democrats to not use Section 212-F to crack down on illegal immigration.
“This would be an extremely disappointing mistake,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal stated on X, formerly Twitter. “Cruel enforcement-only policies have been tried for 30 years and simply do not work.”
