President Joe Biden, 80, sent a shot across the bow to Republicans, ordering the Defense Department to send 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexican border to assist the Border Patrol with current inflows of undocumented migrants expected to hit 10,000 a day. Announcing his reelection campaign April 25, Biden got serious after his Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas got raked over the coals in a Republican-controlled House. Mayorkas has been taking heat for the White House, doing little or nothing to stop the current inflows of illegal immigrants. Biden officials were content to highlight former President Donald Trump inhumane treatment at the border, separating children from their families. Disparaging Democrat and media talking points about Trump’s border policy helped Biden get elected in 2020. Facing 2024, Biden wants to show he doing something.
White House officials confirmed the deployment of 1,500 active-duty troops to assist Border Patrol with administrative and transportation functions. Newly deployed troops will not detain or incarcerate any undocumented immigrants crossing the border. Fresh off Biden’s emergency authorization, Department of Homeland Security [DHS] took steps to coordinate with the Defense Department with Customs and Border Protection [CBP]. Trump’s Title 42, the public health law allowing CBP to detain immigrates due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, expires May 11, prompting the recent influx of illegal immigrants to the Mexican border. Title 42 enabled border officials to restrict inflows of immigrants due to public health concerns. Biden campaign officials decided to preempt future GOP attacks, realizing that many independent voters show concerns about border security.
Recent polls show that Biden cannot take independent border for granted in the 2024 election cycle. While Democrats and the press made a good case against Trump in 2020, independents, some 50% of the electorate, are scrutinizing Biden on many issues, especially the sluggish U.S. economy and, more recently, the crisis in the banking industry. Federal Reserve Board officials acknowledge today that some 50% of U.S. banks could not pass “stress tests” regarding the amount of cash reserves needed to run banks without fear of insolvency. With the Fed guaranteeing deposits to Silicon Valley Bank after its insolvency and JPMorgan Chase taking over First Republic Bank yesterday, markets sold off, fearing a growing banking crisis. Biden’s Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a former Fed Chairwoman, said the government would run out of cash by June 1 without urgent Congressional action
Looming beyond the border for Biden is the Ukraine War where he committed to funding a deadly proxy war against the Russian Federation. Biden has tossed decades of U.S.-Russian diplomacy under the bus, leaving the U.S. and Kremlin in a state of war. So far, Biden has received a blank check from Congress, joining forces with GOP war hawks like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), gladly battling 70-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin. But as the war grinds on with no end in sight, the U.S. Treasury continues to hemorrhage over $100 billion at a time when Congress must agree on a continuing budget resolution before the Treasury defaults on its foreign debt. Independent voters know the growing economic problems, despite Biden insisting the U.S. economy has never been stronger. At some point, even with Trump as the presumptive GOP nominee, 2024 could be different that 2020.
Convergence of issues in 2020 conspired to sink the Trump presidency, including the raging Covd-19 crisis, race riots from the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd and sluggish U.S. economy from Covid-19 lockdowns. By the time the election rolled around, voters simply soured on Trump, looking to Biden as a quick fix. It didn’t take long for Biden’s economic policies, especially government stimulus bills and Covid-19 bailouts to sink whatever recovery came from ending the Covid-19 crisis. Sending troops to the border helps Biden defuse another GOP campaign issue that he let the U.S.-Mexican border get out of control. Troy Millary, head of CPT, told Congress that as many as 10,000 immigrants will cross the U.S. border per day due to the end of Title 42. Sending 1,500 U.S. troops does little other than give a symbolic gesture to help stem immigrants inflows across the border.
Biden looks to defuse another explosive 2024 campaign issue by deploying 1,500 more troops to the U.S.-Mexican border. Joining already 2,500 National Guard troops, Biden hopes it shuts down his GOP critics but, more importantly, independents that don’t like what they’ve seen over the last two-and-a-half years. Biden finds himself walking on thin ice, especially when it comes to the economy and war in Ukraine. Any more escalation in Biden’s proxy war against the Kremlin could throw White House reelection plans into chaos. Whether Trump wins the 2024 GOP nomination or not, Biden must answer for the economy and the ongoing war. Dredging up old talking points how Trump handled the border crisis won’t work in 2024. When it comes to the economy, voters want to know “what have you done for me lately.” Looming budget fights with the GOP must be resolved soon.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
