Joe Biden swings between supporters and Republicans on immigration file

President Biden has visited the Mexican border for the first time since taking office. Immigration in the United States is a difficult and polarized issue, with Biden trying to strike a balance between a tough immigration policy that Republicans can embrace and the humanitarian policies he promised during his presidential campaign.

American expert Kenneth Manusama thinks the timing of his visit was well-chosen. “It is a good time for the new Congress to take office. It’s a signal that Biden wants to reach out to Congress to make progress on the document, along with infrastructure projects, along with Republicans. With a Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Biden had to tread very carefully after the midterm elections.

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Wind from the sails

Not only has Biden made concessions to Republicans with his tough immigration rules and visits to the border, he has also rejected their much-used argument that he is not strict enough. On the other hand, Biden is committed to making immigration policy more humane, which was one of his campaign promises at the time. Trump Had a Wall, What Does Biden Have to Offer Republicans?

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According to Manusama, Biden has been trying to get more money for border security for the past two years, but it has always gone hand-in-hand with immigration reform. More specifically, Biden wants illegal immigrants who have been living in the US for a long time to become US citizens. He specifically refers to so-called ‘Dreamers’, children who came to the US illegally but are not yet US citizens.

Where is Harris?

Immigration is a file that Vice President Kamala Harris is actually dealing with, but she’s been as practically invisible as she has been for the past two years. Manusama also wonders where she is: ‘It’s hard to see what’s going on with Harris. Why doesn’t she have a bigger profile in this file? She’s been a bit invisible for the past few years anyway.’

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According to the American expert, she may or may not want to burn herself with this bombshell document because it is too polarizing for a hand on the right.