Washington, DC – The storyline that Donald Trump and Republicans prefer immigration and the border as a political issue to run on, rather than an issue to be resolved, is one of the dominant stories in the news this week. Among the array of coverage and commentary, two important opinion reflections jumped out to us.
First, Greg Sargent of The New Republic writes, “Trump Forces Terrified Republicans to Bend the Knee Yet Again,” capturing the cynical politics on display. Not only are Republicans rejecting significant increases in spending and personnel at the border because they think it might hurt Trump (and rejecting Ukraine aid he opposes), but there is also an underreported dynamic in the negotiations. GOP opposition to humanitarian parole and legal pathways that reduce disorder at the border underscores their preference for chaos and opposition to legal – not just “illegal” – immigration.
Additionally, the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board also offers a reflection and blistering commentary and critique of their usual Republican allies in “A GOP Border Reckoning.” Find key excerpts of both pieces below:
Greg Sargent writes for The New Republic, “Trump Forces Terrified Republicans to Bend the Knee Yet Again”
“That Republicans reject all these serious new restrictions—including much more border security spending—as insufficient shows how extreme the MAGA-fied GOP posture on this issue has become. To illustrate the point, consider that Republicans have also pushed to gut Biden’s parole programs, which admit tens of thousands monthly who apply from abroad. Democrats have rejected this, angering Republicans who insist those programs abuse Biden’s parole authority.
But it’s important to understand why Democrats are rejecting this. These parole programs provide alternative legal pathways for migrants to enter the United States by securing a sponsor from afar and then flying into the country. Rather than requiring them to come to the border and seek asylum, this creates an orderly, rules-bound way to enter instead. This is a crucial innovation under Biden: The idea is to shift incentives away from the very sort of migration—crossing the border and then requesting asylum—that is creating the strains on the border infrastructure that Republicans claim to fear and loathe.
Republicans should applaud that shift. But they oppose those programs precisely because they allow migrants to enter the country in a functional way. They’re abandoning a compromise that would spend billions more on border security; make asylum seeking more efficient, including removing those who don’t qualify faster; and create numerous other ways to expedite removal—because it doesn’t gut legal immigration programs that are working well. What Republicans object to isn’t border chaos. It’s having more migrants come here successfully and efficiently.”
The Wall Street Journal editorial, “A GOP Border Reckoning”:
“Yet giving up on a border security bill would be a self-inflicted GOP wound. President Biden would claim, with cause, that Republicans want border chaos as an election issue rather than solving the problem. Voter anger may over time move from Mr. Biden to the GOP, and the public will have a point. Cynical is the only word that fits Republicans panning a border deal whose details aren’t even known.
… If negotiations fail, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will eventually put the Ukraine bill up for another vote, and he should. If the GOP blocks the bill in either the Senate or the House, it will share responsibility for whatever happens next in Ukraine. Kyiv’s defeat will be signed with the party’s signature.”
