On Friday, President Joe Biden acknowledged that the immigration system in the United States is flawed, reiterating the opinions of several Democratic governors and mayors who are overwhelmed by the border problem.
Speaking to a group of governors gathered at the White House, Biden said that the lack of progress on current border security legislation, together with the Senate's inability to approve it, had caused bipartisanship in Congress to stagnate.
Biden said, "Congress has a long, proud history—a bipartisan history—on immigration reform and upholding our duties under international treaties that we signed relating to immigration. America is now a country of laws, a nation of immigrants, and has the greatest economy in the world because to these changes. However, something changed. Our immigration system is flawed because it has not evolved with our laws and resources over time. And our politicians have not been able to resolve it.
If approved, the Senate plan would have also expanded the number of Border Patrol agents and asylum officials, given the president the power to expel people, and altered the asylum procedure. Lawmakers on the Republican side said the package did not go far enough.
"[The law] also included the strictest border security improvements in recorded history. "We need additional personnel," said the head of the Border Patrol personally. More agents are required on the line. Our bipartisan measure provided the necessary Border Patrol agents. In order to get asylum rulings in months rather than years, it financed and employed 1,500 more agents and officers, 100 additional immigration judges, and 4,300 additional asylum officers. However, as everyone is aware, petty politics got involved. Despite the bill's strong support, the speaker of the House has declined to allow a vote, the president said.
During their visit to Washington this week, the governors are talking about finding bipartisan answers to the major problems that the states face, such as border security, the federal and state responses to natural disasters, high rates of crime, and education.
In order to force Congress to approve significant border security legislation, Biden urged the governors to get in touch with the legislators who were blocking the measure's passage. "Doing nothing," he said, was not an option.
Therefore, Biden said, "encourage your members of Congress who are standing in the way to show a little spine if this matters to you and your state."
Speaking to a group of governors gathered at the White House, Biden said that the lack of progress on current border security legislation, together with the Senate's inability to approve it, had caused bipartisanship in Congress to stagnate.
Biden said, "Congress has a long, proud history—a bipartisan history—on immigration reform and upholding our duties under international treaties that we signed relating to immigration. America is now a country of laws, a nation of immigrants, and has the greatest economy in the world because to these changes. However, something changed. Our immigration system is flawed because it has not evolved with our laws and resources over time. And our politicians have not been able to resolve it.
If approved, the Senate plan would have also expanded the number of Border Patrol agents and asylum officials, given the president the power to expel people, and altered the asylum procedure. Lawmakers on the Republican side said the package did not go far enough.
"[The law] also included the strictest border security improvements in recorded history. "We need additional personnel," said the head of the Border Patrol personally. More agents are required on the line. Our bipartisan measure provided the necessary Border Patrol agents. In order to get asylum rulings in months rather than years, it financed and employed 1,500 more agents and officers, 100 additional immigration judges, and 4,300 additional asylum officers. However, as everyone is aware, petty politics got involved. Despite the bill's strong support, the speaker of the House has declined to allow a vote, the president said.
During their visit to Washington this week, the governors are talking about finding bipartisan answers to the major problems that the states face, such as border security, the federal and state responses to natural disasters, high rates of crime, and education.
In order to force Congress to approve significant border security legislation, Biden urged the governors to get in touch with the legislators who were blocking the measure's passage. "Doing nothing," he said, was not an option.
Therefore, Biden said, "encourage your members of Congress who are standing in the way to show a little spine if this matters to you and your state."
