President Biden vowed last week that he would take another stab at trying to pass border security legislation that was axed during negotiations over his foreign aid package. That was news to those involved in the first round of negotiations over the bill, reports Politico. Talks around resuscitating the bipartisan border compromise that senators struck in February have been nonexistent. Despite the president’s proclamation, administration officials and immigration policy experts both say it’s highly unlikely any legislative momentum for border security will materialize between now and November. “They pulled a rabbit out of a hat on Ukraine, but there’s no chance they’re getting anything out of Mike Johnson’s House on border security,” said an immigration advocate. They’ve known that since December, when they realized they had to count votes in the House. There’s no chance of legislation on this, and they know that. It’s rhetorical posturing.”
Biden’s comments underscored the administration’s desire to try turning the politics of the border — long an albatross for Democrats — into something more advantageous. After former President Trump and Republican lawmakers tanked the compromise bill, the White House moved to put blame at their feet. The president has weighed the possibility of taking executive action. Last week, Biden said Congress should have acted on border security, "And I’m determined to get it done for the American people.” In reality, there’s been no behind-the-scenes jockeying from the White House to restart talks, in part because Biden believes that the migration crisis has temporarily stabilized, with illegal border crossings dipping again in March to 137,000. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has moderate members up for reelection this year, some of whom are pushing for him to bring the bill to the floor again. “We’re not leaving border alone, we’re going to come back to it,” Schumer said. Meanwhile, the White House weighing new executive actions, including restrictions on asylum. Sources say the timeline remains murky.
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