President Joe Biden said this week that the border situation was “broken” while speaking to governors following protests regarding millions of illegal immigrants entering the country during his tenure. The statement came as congressional Republicans and some Democrats called for the administration to close the southern border.
The president told members of the National Governors Association that the country’s immigration laws “made America a nation of laws, a nation of immigrants and the strongest economy in the world.”
“But something changed. Over time, our laws and our resources haven’t kept up with our immigration system, and it’s broken. And our politics has failed to fix it,” he said.
Biden claimed that the recent failed immigration bill “included the toughest set of reforms to secure the border ever in history. The Border Patrol chief himself said, ‘We need more people. We need more agents on the line,’”
The president is reportedly considering taking executive action to slow the flow of migrants into the country. Republican critics point to the significant decline in the number of border crossings during the tenure of former President Donald Trump.
The Biden administration ended Trump’s Title 42 asylum program last year, which coincided with a large increase in the number of illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country.
More than six million illegal immigrants are estimated to have entered the country since Biden took office in 2021. This includes more than three million attempted crossings in 2023, which set a new record.
In addition, December 2023 saw the highest level of attempted crossings in American history, with more than 300,000 such migrant encounters by law enforcement.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) also reported an increase in crime due to the flow of migrants. Earlier this year a high-profile beating of several NYPD officers was caught on tape in Times Square. In a separate incident, a migrant minor shot a tourist.
Criminal migrants are taking advantage of President Biden’s border policies and committing crimes on American streets. pic.twitter.com/lR3DR2fiaW
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) February 18, 2024
There has also been an increase in attacks on officers in New York, according to the NYPD. The number of officers injured during calls increased significantly in 2023, which was an increase from the previous year.
