The Biden administration’s new border wall approval and other Trump-like policies put in place could risk Democrats’ standing with Latinos, experts say.
Latinos are important to Democrats’ success in key states, but polls show they are slowly drifting away from the party.
Biden is under increasing pressure due to historic migration levels from conservatives and liberals alike, who have criticized the administration for what they say is a failure to act on immigration.
So far, Biden has swept away those who crossed the border illegally without first seeking refuge in a country they traveled through from getting asylum and plans to use foreign aid to help another country’s deportation efforts — both Trump-era policies or plans.
But administration officials say Biden’s border policies are different from Trump’s, pointing to the expansion of legal parole programs for asylum seekers,
The White House did not respond to Axios Latino’s request for comment. But it has previously said it’s engaged with leaders of cities and states where migrants and asylum seekers are arriving by the busload and has provided $1 billion in aid for their response to the influx.
Although Republicans have “made it impossible to move forward with any solution,” Latinos’ confidence in Democrats on immigration has been eroded, says Lanae Erickson, senior VP for social policy, education and politics at Third Way, a center-left think tank.
“I do not think that there are large swaths of Latino voters that are thinking Republicans have the answers on this, but increasingly, it looks like no one has the answers. So, if that’s the case, then it makes it really hard to animate people to come out and vote,” Erickson says.
Erickson adds Republicans will use the border, along with crime and homelessness, as part of their narrative against Democrats’ ability to govern.
US Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) says he constantly hears from constituents, especially lately, that the government should do more to make the border secure. Cuellar’s district includes large portions of the border with Mexico.
“What I’m telling my Democratic leadership is, we can be strong in border security and still be respectful of immigrants’ rights,” Cuellar said.
He says it’s not that Hispanics will go “totally Republican” but that if Democrats don’t deal with border security, some might be “willing to work and vote for a Republican.”
“I worry that if Democrats, if we don’t do the right thing, that we’re going to lose Hispanic voters.”
The Rising Influence of Latino Voters: How Candidates Can Win Their Support
What did Biden say about border wall?
President Joe Biden on Thursday defended his administration’s decision to waive 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow for construction of roughly 20 miles of additional border wall, saying he had no choice but to use the Trump-era funding for the barrier to stop illegal migration from Mexico.
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