President Biden has been under pressure for months to prove he can take a tough stance on the border. But at his campaign reception Wednesday night, he also sought to express his commitment to America’s long history of immigration.
He was scathing of the two US partners, saying Japan and India were struggling economically “because of xenophobia.” He said these two democracies, along with China and Russia, “do not want immigrants.”
“Immigration is what makes us stronger,” the president told the crowd. “I’m not kidding. This is not an exaggeration because we have an influx of workers who want to work here and want to contribute.”
The comments could be a diplomatic boost for the administration, which has spent years lobbying the governments of Japan and India as part of the president’s strategy to counter Chinese aggression in the region. Japan and India are two of the five allies that Biden has hosted state dinners at the White House since taking office.
White House national security spokesman John F. Kirby told reporters Thursday that Biden was trying to comment on the “DNA” of U.S. immigrants, not to insult other countries. . And he insisted that Indian and Japanese officials understand that.
“Our allies and partners know in a tangible way how President Biden values them, our friendship, and our cooperation,” Kirby said.
But the president’s comments also underscore how Biden is trying to find a politically favorable balance on immigration as he seeks a second term in the White House.
The president signed the most restrictive immigration law in years in response to Republican and Democratic anger over a historic surge of migrants at the southern border. The bill stalled in Congress, but Biden is now considering whether to use his executive powers to enact tougher asylum crackdowns of his own.
At the same time, Mr. Biden has sought to assert the nation’s moral high ground on immigration by drawing a contrast between former President Donald J. Trump and his years of attacks on immigrants.
During the 2020 campaign, Biden repeatedly attacked Trump for supporting policies he called racist and xenophobic. On his first day in office, Biden proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s immigration system that would expand the rights of immigrants.
Many immigration advocates said they expect the Biden White House to continue its clear support for what the president has called a “humane” approach to immigration. But the reality is more complicated.
As the situation at the border worsened, calls for tougher action also grew from the president’s Democratic supporters in big cities like Chicago, New York and Denver. Biden has proposed new legal options for some immigrants to enter the United States, but his policies and rhetoric have become more forceful.
In January, when Congress was considering immigration legislation, Mr. Biden signaled a desire to use the law to close the border.
“If given that authority, I would exercise it the same day I signed the bill,” he said.
Maribel Hernández Rivera, director of border, immigration policy and government affairs at the ACLU, said Thursday she hopes the president’s comments at the fundraiser indicate he is reconsidering some of his tougher proposals. He said he was doing it.
“The first thing he did was propose immigration reform, right? That was a good thing,” she said, referring to Biden’s early actions as president. “Unfortunately, we have also seen other policies that are unhelpful, such as attempts to limit access to asylum and asylum for vulnerable people.”
Furthermore, she added, “A ban on asylum in any form violates both international and domestic law. It is not a solution.”
Kirby sought to emphasize Thursday that the president believes in the importance of immigration to America’s economic success.
“I think people around the world realize that the broader point that the president was making is that America is a nation of immigrants, and that’s in our DNA,” he said. . “We’re better for it. We’re stronger for it. We’re not going to walk away from it. And that’s the broader point he makes.”
