OLYMPIA, Wash. – President Joe Biden has faced a tightrope walk on immigration issues heading into the general election cycle, facing criticisms from conservatives that his border policies are too lax while progressives have argued that he has failed to uphold the human rights of asylum seekers. He attempted to strike a middle-ground on the issue with two major announcements in June.
On June 4, Biden announced that his administration would bar asylum seekers from applying for safe haven in the United States if they “cross our Southern border unlawfully.”
The order came after former President Donald Trump slammed Biden on immigration issues and promised a strict border crackdown if he is reelected. Bipartisan congressional efforts to enhance border security were shut down by House Speaker Mike Johnson in February.
US Representative Pramila Jayapal (D) criticized Biden’s June 4 announcement by citing the right to seek asylum in the face of political persecution or the threat of death under international law.
“Seeking asylum is legal under this country’s immigration laws and international treaty obligations. It is extremely disappointing to see the Biden administration severely restricting access to asylum…This attempt to shut down the border to asylum seekers uses the same section of U.S. immigration laws that convicted felon Donald Trump used to implement the Muslim Ban,” Jayapal said.
Human Rights Watch also condemned the Executive order, saying that it violated global human rights law.
“The order enables border officials to rapidly remove people who arrive in the US without a hearing when border ‘encounters’ or arrivals have surpassed a 7-day average of 2,500 people. This would effectively shut down the border to asylum seekers,” Human Rights Watch said.
Biden managed to win back some praise from members of his party on Tuesday with an executive order that could offer a pathway to citizenship for undocumented spouses of American citizens. Jayapal expressed her support for Biden’s order via social media.
“Today’s action…is the biggest set of protections for immigrants since DACA. These are people who are married to US citizens, have been in America for at least 10 years, & many even have US citizen children. This is a bold step to keep these American families together,” Jayapal said.
The move was also hailed by Senator Patty Murray, who said the Biden Administration move would have a direct positive impact on Washington state.
“Today’s announcement by President Biden will provide life changing relief to undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens—including thousands of undocumented individuals in Washington state,” Murray said in a media statement.
While Washington shares a border with Canada rather than Mexico, migration trends caused by the climate crisis and violent conflicts in Latin America and the global south continue to inform political controversies amongst Democrats in the Evergreen State.
