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The Political Scene | The New Yorker

How Biden Stumbled on Immigration Reform

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

President, Barack, News, Politics, Wnyc, Obama, Lizza, Washington, Wickenden

4.33.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2022

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This month, the C.D.C. announced plans to end Title 42, a public-health order, issued by the Trump Administration at the start of the pandemic, that gives the federal government broad authority to turn away migrants and asylum seekers at the southern border. Public-health experts and some Democrats have pressured President Biden to repeal the order, but others, including several of his own top advisers, argue that the repeal will substantially increase the number of migrants at the southern border, further straining a chaotic immigration system, and hand Republicans a campaign issue for the midterms: a “migrant surge” approved by the Administration. Jonathan Blitzer joins Dorothy Wickenden to talk about how immigration is becoming another political liability for the Biden Administration.

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Transcript

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This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and guests about

1:16.9

politics. It's Thursday, April 14th. I'm Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor of The New Yorker.

1:24.2

The Centers for Disease Control recently announced that at the end of May, it will revoke a Trump-era public health order known as Title 42, which has enabled the government to turn away or deport asylum seekers en masse because of the pandemic.

1:40.8

Public health experts and some Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer,

1:47.0

have pressured Biden to repeal the order, which has not been shown to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S.

1:54.0

But other moderate Senate Democrats oppose the repeal, arguing that it will substantially increase the number of migrants at the

2:02.5

southern border further straining a chaotic immigration system. And Republicans are exploiting what they

2:09.4

are calling a border crisis as the midterm elections approach. On March 30th, Democratic Senator Mark

2:17.0

Kelly of Arizona talked about his concerns about repealing Title 42 during an interview with a local TV station.

2:25.3

Well, you know, I've been saying for a long time, Ron, that, you know, my priority has been to make sure that we have a secure and orderly and humane process at the southern border. And I'm really concerned

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