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Immigration Policy

A 'brutal crosscurrent': Why Biden's immigration policies are making everyone mad

During his two-hour news conference last week, President Biden only mentioned his proposed immigration overhaul in passing, a sign of how far down his priority list its fallen.

  • In his first days in office, Biden sent Congress a sweeping immigration reform proposal.
  • Immigration-rights advocates cheered the moves as the start of a new era after Trump's policies.
  • But some Trump policies remain, including Title 42, which makes it hard for migrants to seek asylum.

WASHINGTON – A year into his term, President Joe Biden is taking heat from all sides of the immigration debate. 

Immigration advocates feel betrayed and frustrated, saying Biden has embraced or even augmented some of the Trump administration's most extreme policies, despite promises to reverse his predecessor's hard-line approach to the issue.

Conservatives seeking to limit immigration, including former President Donald Trump's allies, are equally blistering. They say Biden's approach to the hot-button issue has fueled new waves of illegal immigration at the border. 

The anger over Biden's handling of immigration could have major political consequences for Democrats as they head into the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans have signaled plans to attack Biden on immigration as they seek to regain control of the House and Senate. Democrats are already struggling to court Hispanic voters, and the failure to deliver on immigration could make their political pitch an even tougher sell. 

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