The White House statement comes after a week of frantic negotiations in the Senate.

The White House statement comes after a week of frantic negotiations in the Senate.

President Joe Biden on Friday urged Congress to pass a bipartisan bill to address the immigration crisis at the nation’s southern border, saying he would shut down the border the day the bill became law.

“What’s been negotiated would — if passed into law — be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country,” Biden said in a statement. “It would give me, as President, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law.”

Biden’s Friday evening statement resembles a ramping up in rhetoric for the administration, placing the president philosophically in the camp arguing that the border may hit a point where closure is needed. The White House’s decision to have Biden weigh in also speaks to the delicate nature of the dealmaking, and the urgency facing his administration to take action on the border — particularly during an election year, when Republicans have used the issue to rally their base.

The president is also daring Republicans to reject the deal as it faces a make-or-break moment amid GOP fissures.

  • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
    64·
    10 months ago

    So, the people remaining in Guatamala, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico… They don’t have a reasonable expectation of a “peaceful life”? We only decide to give a shit about them if they can figure out how to make it to the US border? “Fuck’em” if they can’t leave?

    • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
      84·
      10 months ago

      hahaah wow, talk about moving the goal posts. no one is saying what youre implying. i understand theres more to immigration, but maintain some context.

      this is discussion about immigrants at the US border.

      • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
        42·
        10 months ago

        talk about moving the goal posts

        Where do you think I initially placed the “goal posts”, and where do you think I moved them to?

        no one is saying what youre implying.

        Hi, I’m “no one”. I’m saying it. When do we tackle the underlying problem? When do we start doing something about why people are immigrating?

        There is clearly a worsening humanitarian crisis occurring in Central America, evidenced by the increasing rate of refugees seeking to enter the US. When do we address it?

        • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
          22·
          10 months ago

          im not disagreeing with you other than the fact youre changing the conversation from 'what should america do with all these immigrants at the border" to “why are all these immigrants at our border”

          2 completely different conversations. but, you do you

          • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
            31·
            10 months ago

            What do the immigrants need? To answer that, you first have to ask why they are here. When your conversation finally gets around to asking that question, you’ll be having my conversation.

            Catch up. Quickly, please: people are suffering while you’re fucking around in the past.

            • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
              34·
              10 months ago

              you first have to ask why they are here

              no, i dont. my problem is with current immigration policy, regardless of why they are at the border.

              • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
                41·
                10 months ago

                You can’t establish a reasonable policy on immigration without asking why people are emigrating. You need to ask why they are coming here long before you consider policy.

                • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
                  23·
                  10 months ago

                  i get it , you suffer from some sort of roadblock you cant get past regarding origin. it must be hard being stuck in that place.

                  you do you, but i will be pushing for immigration reform at the border regardless of origin.

                  we should put this back to our pre-'24 order of allowing all immigrants unless they fail screening criteria, regardless of origin.

                  did i say regardless of origin enough? cuz it feels like i didnt point out how incredibly irrelevant that is when theyre standing at the gates.

                  • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
                    2·
                    10 months ago

                    Red herring. My question was not “where did they come from”. My question was “why did they come”.

                    If they are here because they want to be here, great, the more the merrier.

                    If they are here because they aren’t safe where they actually want to be, we should be making them safe where they actually want to be.

                    If they are here because they are impoverished where they actually want to be, we should be improving the economies of where they actually want to be.

                    You can’t spin this to where it is somehow better to deliberately ignore why they are coming. That question must be asked, and we must also justify any action or inaction we take in light of that answer.